MOSCOW, February 10 (AVN) - The Southern Shield of the Commonwealth 2000 coalition exercise will take place in Kazakhsan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from March 28 to April 3, 2000, the Military News Agency learned in the CIS Military Co-operation Co-ordination Staff.
The exercise aims to train protection of the Middle Asian region and measures against possible penetration of guerrilla gangs into a CIS member state, a staff source said. It will involve combat and management units of Russia's 201st division and Russia's border guard group in Tajikistan.
Southern Shield includes combat firing of land forces and aviation which are to take place at the Tigrovaya Balka training ground in Tajikistan. Several CIS states which will not take part in the training have said they are willing to delegate their observers.
According to the source, the exercise is likely to be rescheduled if rebels mount their activities in mountainous districts of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Southern Shield exercise first took place in Kyrgyzstan in October and November 1999 soon after the guerrilla invasion into the Osh region of this republic.