Drills aimed at bringing troops to combat readiness began in the military districts of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry said in a statement.
Under the leadership of Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbanov, according to the plan, inspections are being carried out in the Tashkent and South-Western Special Military Districts, as well as in military units and divisions of the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force. The readiness of personnel and military equipment will be reportedly checked. Now the minister, according to available information, is in the Surkhandarya province, bordering Afghanistan.
In addition, battalion tactical exercises will be held at the Angren and Termez combined-arms training grounds to exchange experience and coordinate the actions of military units and the combined forces of the Tashkent and South-West special commands.
In the course of tactical exercises, when the "Alarm" signal is given, the actions of the personnel are checked, the possibility of enhancing protection in a given direction, and the ability to fulfill the assigned combat tasks.
As part of the drills, the probable location of the mock enemy will be determined, after which the forces and equipment of aviation and artillery units and a battery of mortars will strike at the areas where they are located in order to prevent any possible active actions.
The exercises are being conducted against the backdrop of the escalating situation in Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that 53 Afghan soldiers and militias had crossed the border with Uzbekistan in the Shortepa district with weapons the day before. After carrying out the procedures of inquiry and investigative actions, the Afghan citizens were returned to their homeland.
On June 21, Taliban forces seized the Sherkhon Bandar checkpoint on the border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, 134 Afghan soldiers were forced to retreat to the territory of a neighboring state after a clash with the Taliban. Tajik border guards allowed Afghan soldiers who broke through the state border to freely enter the territory of Tajikistan.
The leaders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in a telephone conversation on June 23 discussed the situation in Afghanistan, assessing the situation on the border with this country as very tense. The parties agreed to continue to support the inter-Afghan peace process.
