YEKATERINBURG, July 20-RIA Novosti. Russian tankers in Tajikistan as part of the exercises marched to the Kharb-Maydon training ground bordering Afghanistan, the Central Military District (CVO) reports.
"As part of the upcoming joint tactical exercise, Russian tankers of the 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan made a 200-kilometer march from the Lyaura training ground to the Harb-Maydon training ground bordering Afghanistan," the report says.
During the march, the crews of T-72 tanks worked out the issues of combat protection of columns, overcoming conditionally infected areas of the terrain, repelling the attack of sabotage and reconnaissance groups and air strikes of the"enemy". Upon arrival at the training ground, the crews started engineering equipment for positions and shelters for combat vehicles. The military personnel deploy control points, carry out engineering equipment of firing positions and camouflage of equipment.
The joint exercise with the military contingents of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will be held from August 5 to 10 in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan at the Harb-Maydon training ground. The basis of the Russian military contingent will be the units of the 201st military base, including mountain motorized rifle, tank, artillery units, as well as groups of a special separate special purpose unit of the Central Military District. In addition, specialists of the RCB protection and mobile electronic warfare groups will be involved in the exercise, the Central Military District specifies.
In Afghanistan, there is a confrontation between government forces and the militants of the Taliban movement*, who have seized significant territories in rural areas and launched an offensive on major cities. Instability in Afghanistan is growing against the backdrop of the US administration's promises to complete the withdrawal of troops from Afghan soil by September 11.
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia
