MOSCOW. April 11 (Interfax-AVN) - The upcoming South- Antiterror tactical exercise will focus on the establishment of practical interaction between the Collective Rapid-Deployment Forces and regional collective security systems in Central Asian states, a competent source in the CIS military cooperation coordination headquarters told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday.
The exercise will take place in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistain from April 13 to 19 under the supervision of Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai Patrushev, the source said. The main aim of the training is to practice ways and methods of preparation and conduction of an antiterrorist operation against international terrorist and extremist organizations in Central Asia.
Command post training of the forces' command and the CIS Antiterrorist Center will take place at the first stage of the exercise in Bishkek from April 13 to 16. Military units will not be involved on that stage. They will step in on the section stage that envisages joint tactical war games with live firing in the Kulyab region of Tajikistan on April 16 to 19. The aim of the second stage is to practice actions of special units and troops with a goal to "eliminate international terrorist groups", the source said.
The Collective Rapid Deployment Forces are led by Major General Sergei Chernomordin. The CIS Antiterrorist Center is headed by Lieutenant General Boris Melnikov.