Foreign and Military Affairs
Terrorism targeted in united military drill
By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-11 08:11
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ALMATY, Kazakhstan - Top military officers from China, Russia and three Central Asian nations vowed on Friday to work together to fight terrorism, following recent riots in Kyrgyzstan and at a time of challenges in Afghanistan.
 Chiefs of general staff from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization gather in Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan, on Friday to announce the start of the Peace Mission 2010 military exercise. [China Daily] |
Chiefs of general staff from the militaries of the five countries, which included Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, made the remarks after announcing the start of a joint anti-terror military exercise in southern Kazakhstan.
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"Except for the navy and strategic missiles that are not involved here, the drill basically includes the most advanced equipment made in China," Chen said.
However, "the political and strategic significance of the drill goes much further than its military significance," Chen added, stressing that the exercise is not targeted at any country or region but at terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The security situation in Central Asia and bordering countries is complex, with terrorism, separatism and extremism a widespread issue.
In July 2009, riots led by such groups in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, claimed the lives of at least 197 people and left more than 1,700 injured.
This year, Kyrgyzstan has seen months of turmoil and bloodshed since the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in early April.
"For Russia, the terrorist activities are real. Terrorist events in Russia's Caucasus have proved that," said Nikolai Makarov, chief of general staff of the Russian military.
A suicide bomber set off a powerful blast near a busy market in the North Caucasus on Thursday, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens.
The drill is the seventh of its kind under the framework of the SCO but the first time SCO nations have taken heavy weapons into Kazakhstan. The country has been preparing for the event for the past year.
Set against the background of terrorism triggering a regional crisis, the Peace Mission 2010 drill on Kazakhstan's Matybulak testing grounds involves about 5,000 troops and will continue until Sept 25.
China sent about 1,000 troops to the country by train on a journey of nearly 5,000 km that lasted almost a week.
Russia and Kazakhstan each sent more than 1,000 troops while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan each dispatched more than 100.
The Chinese participants are largely from the Beijing Military Command and an air force combat group will fly directly from China to join the exercise.
After two weeks of joint training drills, defense ministers from the five nations will oversee the final drill.
Li Shuyin, an expert on Central Asia and Russian military studies with the Academy of Military Science of the PLA, said the SCO drills have enabled all of China's four military commands in the North to cooperate with foreign militaries.
The Jinan Military Command took part in the 2005 drill, while the Lanzhou command was involved in the 2007 gathering and the Shenyang command in 2009.
One of the highlights of Peace Mission 2010 will be the nighttime shooting of targets by personnel in helicopters, Li said, because it will be the first time it has been done during SCO drills.
Wang Haiyun, an expert in international strategy, said SCO member nations are mindful of developments in Afghanistan.
"We have to be prepared," said the former military attache to Russia.
While the five militaries have not had to fight a united war against regional terrorists, the drills have a role in deterring terrorists and keeping the situation relatively stable, he said.
Wang Haishan contributed to this story.
