ITAR-TASS: CSTO’s Rubezh-2005 exercise begins in Tajikistan

[Tsiyu]

MOSCOW, April 2 (Itar-Tass) -- The first phase of the joint command staff exercise by the Collective Security Treaty Organization member-countries (CSTO) is beginning in Tajikistan on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said taking part in the anti-terrorist exercise code-named Rubezh-2005 (Frontier-2005) will be approximately 1,000 officers and men, over one hundred armored and motor vehicles, fighter-bombers and helicopter gunships.

The first phase of the exercise will last three days, April 2 through 4. The participants will practice cooperation and making of joint decisions to use the collective security forces’ manpower and materiel in an operation to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Central Asian counties. These tasks will be set to the command and headquarters of the Collective Rapid Deployment Force in the Central Asian region and to the permanent and tactical CSTO groups brought to Tajikistan on the eve of the exercise.

In the active phase on April 5 and 6 the Collective Rapid Deployment force will practice an operation to localize, blockade and eliminate armed gangs.

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