DUSAHNBE, August 21, Asia-Plus - Sub-units of four member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan – arrived in Kazakhstan yesterday to take part in joint military exercises, dubbed “Rubezh-2006” (Boundary-2006).  

According to information from the Tajik Ministry of Defense (MoD), the war game involving ground, sea and air units will be conducted at the Caspian Sea coast from August 24-29.  Tajikistan is represented in this war game by one operational group and platoon being a part of the CSTO rapid deployment forces.   

As it had been reported earlier, about 2,500 servicemen from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan will participate in this war game.  Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister Moukhtar Altynbayev will be in overall command of this counterterrorism exercise.  

Uzbek servicemen will attend the military exercises in Kazakhstan as observers. 

The MoD source says the joint exercise in Kazakhstan will be conducted in three phases: the first and the second phases will include command-staff drills and the third phase will include joint tactical exercises.  Besides, 2,500 servicemen, the war game in Kazakhstan also will involve 60 tanks and armored personnel carriers, 50 canons and mortars, and 35 aircraft of Russian and Kazakh Air Forces, according to the source.   

 The CSTO has previously held Rubezh anti-terrorist exercises in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization was founded on October 7, 2002 by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan to ensure peace, preserve the territorial integrity of member countries, coordinate activities in the fight against international terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized international crime, and provide immediate military assistance to a CSTO member in the event of a military threat.