Tajikistan: paratrooper training for the army Tajik

From September 21 to 26, a training parachute troops in favor of Tajikistan was held at the training center with the support of Fakhrabad Air Detachment (DETAIR) of Doushambé and force elements Pamir.

Established 8 years ago as part of the Franco-Tajik this activity readiness is eagerly awaited each year by our brothers in arms. This cooperative action, under the responsibility of the Defence Attaché Embassy of France near Tajikistan, was coordinated by the mission of Defence (MoD).

Parachute training was conducted by a team of seven specialists from the Centre Flight Air Jump (AFSC) of Orleans. 53 Tajik soldiers selected for the exercise came from the Military Institute of the Ministry of Defence, mobile forces and the National Guard. The training was conducted in two parts: after 3 days of ground training, 49 Tajik soldiers completed four static line jumps to 400 m from a Transall C160. All but four injured in ground training, received the Brevet d'Initiation Military Parachuting (BIPM).

Russian base in Tajikistan: Dushanbe and Moscow sign

Russia and Tajikistan signed an agreement on the extension of the lease of the Russian military base on the territory of Tajikistan, Dushanbe said Friday the adviser of Russian President Yuri Ushakov.

"The agreement establishes conditions favorable enough for Russia de facto, no rent for the parking of our military equipment is received," reported M.Ouchakov reporters.

He recalled that the last agreement regulating the presence of the Russian base in Tajikistan was signed on 25 May 1993 and came to an end in 2014. The new document will remain in effect until 2042, with subsequent extensions of five years.

India / Tajikistan: towards a long-term strategic partnership

In early September, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi in order to strengthen relations between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade, energy and Safety. The IDSA (Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses) said in a report released Sept. 18 issues of the "strategic partnership".

At this meeting in early September, the two leaders had agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in many areas - including political, economic, scientific, defense, fight against terrorism. President Rahmon's visit shows the willingness of India to grant a greater role in Tajikistan's foreign policy, describing it also as a "key partner." According to the IDSA, the importance of India to Tajikistan is primarily geostrategic, partly because the country bordering China, Afghanistan and is located near the Pok (Pakistan human rights of migrants). In the current contexts of Afghanistan where the Taliban have a big impact and Pakistan, where violence continues to grow, Tajikistan is therefore of great importance for India. On the one hand, extremist forces could infiltrate the country, which would have serious consequences for the security of India near the Pok and Kashmir. On the other hand, Tajikistan has the largest water resources of the region, is a hydroelectric power. It is the largest producer of hydroelectricity in the CIS after Russia. The country also has many reservations mercury and zinc, real opportunities for India.

Russia, Central Asian States to Hold Air Defense Drills

Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct joint command-and-staff air defense drills on October 5-16, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The Chistoye Nebo (Clear Sky) 2012 exercise will be held in Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh airspace and involve the interception of cruise missiles.

Russia will be represented by a group of experts from Air Force staff and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors and an A-50 Mainstay AWACS plane deployed at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan’s three airbases will host the active phase of the drills. The former Soviet republic will also deploy five air defense brigades and command staff.

Afghan Drug Trade Sends Tremors

Dispute Over Trafficking Sparks Security Crisis Along Opium Route Through Neighboring Tajikistan
 A dispute over the drug trade lies at the heart of a security crisis that has gripped this Central Asian nation, as Afghanistan's opium industry sows instability across the region.
Senior Tajik law enforcement officials are involved in this trade, Western officials say, including a border commander targeted by government forces last week in the worst violence since the country's civil war ended in 1997.

This narcotics business enjoys protection at the highest levels of the Tajik government, Western law-enforcement officials believe. "State security agencies and departments are still reluctant or unable to arrest and prosecute high-level drug smugglers—there is just too much drug flow through Tajikistan for any other view," the U.S. State Department said this year in its annual narcotics report.

Tajik officials say the government is committed to the fight against narcotics trafficking.

Up to 80 tons of heroin and 20 tons of opium are smuggled through Tajikistan's 835-mile frontier with Afghanistan every year, on the way to consumers in Russia and Europe, according to United Nations estimates.

Tajikistan Seals Afghan Border

Tajikistan has closed all crossing points on the border with Afghanistan amid a controversial armed conflict in the east of the republic, the Asia Plus news agency reported on Saturday.
Khushnud Rakhmatullayev, head of the State National Security Committee Border Guard press service, said the decision was made due to the ongoing “special operation” in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
Tajik security officials have said 30 militants, including eight Afghan citizens, were killed and 40 were detained during the operation against a mafia-style group believed to be behind the murder of Abdullo Nazarov, chief of the Tajikistan National Security Committee, who was killed on July 21.
Dushanbe denies any casualties among civilians, but the opposition media reported about over 200 dead, including security officers and civilians.
Tajik opposition activists claim that the conflict was actually an attempt by President Emomali Rakhmon to suppress opposition in the region. They have accused Tajik authorities of using Nazarov’s murder, and the recent attacks on government officials, as a pretext for an ethnic cleansing campaign, and an attempt to re-establish control over the region which has long been known as a fiefdom of local warlords.

Image galleries Video Talk Shows Multiscript INFOgraphics Cartoons World Tajikistan Agrees Terms With Russia For Army Base

Tajikistan has approved Russian terms for an agreement on a lease extension for a Russian army base in the central Asian nation after 2014, Russia's ground forces commander Vladimir Chirkin said on Tuesday.
"The Tajikistan side considers the draft agreement between Russia and Tajikistan, strengthening the 201st army base's presence there for another 49 years, as acceptable. The republic's leadership intends to bring about a joint agreement quickly," Chirkin said.
The draft agreement maintains the existing terms for the base's tenure in Tajikistan on a non-paying basis, he added.

KKT-R? An alternative route to relieve the road from Uzbekistan to the Baltic

The " reverse Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan (R-KKT) trucking route "is part of the Northern Distribution Network , the network of multimodal overland road and rail which will allow exfiltration of NATO equipment.

The R-KTT passes, as its name indicates, by Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan before entering Russia. But she avoids Uzbekistan, which the authorities are very demanding in terms of rights of way.

This road is more expensive than the way south through Pakistan (for a 20-foot container, the extra cost would be $ 10 000 or $ 18 000. However, the air costs $ 40 000 per container according to the U.S. Transportation Command ). This is also the longest: forwarders estimate that the transit time between Afghanistan and the Baltic ports is around 120 days, against 80 by Pakistan.

Boon to private. A U.S. firm is already well established on the R-KKT; it comes to FMN Logistics has begun to repatriate the material U.S. 4 months ago, with the first convoy of 20 trucks of 25t. Others followed, such as Move One (Dubai), already present in Central Asia.

large-scale anti-terrorist exercises in Tajikistan

The anti-terrorist exercises of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission-2012 start in Tajikistan Friday, reporters said Friday the spokesman of the Russian Army, Colonel Sergei Vlasov.
He said the exercises will take place in three stages. The first stage took place on Thursday. It was a meeting of heads of staff who have developed guidelines to conduct a terrorist operation and announced the commencement exercises.
"The second step, called Preparing the joint anti-terrorist operation in the mountains, and the third joint anti-terrorist operation, will take place on a polygon located in Sughd northwest of Tajikistan," said the colonel.
He added that the active phase of the exercises would take place on June 14 Russian side, over 350 soldiers, more than 50 vehicles including 15 armored troop carriers BTR-80 armored vehicle and a Tiger will participate in exercises. Moreover, the transaction Peace Mission-2012 will be held with the participation of Russian attack aircraft.
In total, more than 2,000 troops, from SCO members (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan) will participate in exercises Peace Mission-2012 which will expire on June 14