OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan supports tactical exercises for the Tajik Ministry of Interior’s special forces on negotiating with potential terrorists. Training will take place on 12-13 April in Dushanbe.

Exercises are being held in the frameworks of the “Tactical training for senior officers of special troops of the Tajik Ministry of Interior” training, OSCE Office told the AP. Training was organized by the Counter Terrorism and Law Enforcement Department of the OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan (4-12 April).

In the course of the training international experts trained Tajik law enforcement officers to basic principles of tactical planning of special counter terror operations, carried out practical lessons on conducting negotiations with terrorists, sniper shooting and hostage rescue. Special attention was also given to human rights in the context of counter terrorism efforts, embedding of democratic principles to special forces.

The climax of this training is connected with tactical exercises based on the following scenario: a group of terrorists seized a group of high-ranked officials in one of government buildings in Dushanbe. Special forces and officers from the territorial department of interior must work out and demonstrate their negotiation skills they got in the course of the training and free the hostages.

According to Oliver Jancer, OSCE’s Counter Terrorism Advisor, “Tajik special forces have a good counter terrorism experience and our training is aimed to consolidate their skills and contribute to strengthening of departmental and regional cooperation in this direction, which will have a great impact for complex counter terrorism activity.”

Training is held in the frameworks of the MoU between OSCE and the Government of Tajikistan on Police Reform.

When signing the MoU head of the OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan Ivar Vikki said that “acting on the basis of its mandate and striving to provide assistance to the Republic of Tajikistan in the formation of universal approaches to security problems and threats, the OSCE Bureau in Tajikistan undertakes all efforts to implement the MoU. As a result, a new police model will be set up in Tajikistan. It will be aimed at ensuring personal security, protection of its rights and legal interests.”