Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan concluded a massive military exercise just 20 km from the border with Afghanistan today in what appears to be a show of force against the Taliban group which is rapidly taking over vast swathes of land from the Kabul government.
The drills held at the Harb-Maidon training ground very close to the Afghan border saw the participation of over 2,500 servicemen of which 1,800 were from Russia. About 500 pieces of weapons and military equipment were involved.
The official noted that the exercises were conducted against the background of the aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan and the threat of penetration of radical terrorist groups into the border countries of the Central Asian region.
The exercises saw the militaries of the three countries defeat a simulated group of “illegal armed group” that crossed the state border in southern Tajikistan.