The member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) began ‘Echelon, Search, and Interaction special drills in Tajikistan’ near the Afghan border, the post-Soviet security bloc declared on Monday.
The drills started ahead of the next edition of the Moscow Format of talk on the spillover of extremism in Afghanistan on Wednesday where India is also taking part.
“A ceremony took place at the Kharbmaidon practice range of the armed forces of the Republic of Tajikistan on October 18 to open the Echelon 2021 and Search 2021 special drills and the Interaction 2021 joint maneuvers as part of the CSTO’s Combat Brotherhood 2021 exercise,” the statement read.
“We pay special attention to the Central Asian region. The situation around the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan remains the main source of instability. This is why we are holding three drills simultaneously for the first time as part of the joint training,” Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said on his part at the ceremony.
