China and Kazakhstan on Thursday finished the first phase of a
joint anti-terror drill in Kazakhstan's eastern Almaty region.
The three-day exercise, code-named "Tianshan-I (2006)," drew the
participation of law enforcement bodies and special forces of the
two countries.
This is the first-ever joint anti-terror exercise between the
two countries' law enforcement bodies and special forces within the
framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The first phase started in the Almaty region at 11:30 AM (05:30
GMT) and ended at 4:50 PM (10:50 GMT).
Kazakhstan's border guards used gunship helicopters, armored
anti-riot vehicles and other military equipment in the drill.
Zhang Chongde, an observer from China's Ministry of Public
Security, said the two countries' law enforcement bodies
strengthened their cooperation to jointly fight terrorist forces
through well-planned and effective practice in the first phase of
the exercise.
The drill also boosted the SCO's capability to fight terror,
indicating that SCO member states had made progress in the field of
security cooperation, he added.
The second phase of the drill will be held in Yining, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that borders
Kazakhstan.
According to China's Ministry of Public Security, the exercise
is aimed at implementing the consensus reached at an SCO summit in
June to enhance security cooperation among SCO member states, and
improve coordination between their law enforcement bodies and
special forces.
The drill, the third of its kind conducted within the SCO
framework, was witnessed by observers from SCO member states and
other countries.
The SCO, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, announced in April that it would also
hold joint anti-terror drills in 2007.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2006)
