Over 200 Tajik troops to participate in SCO military exercises

More than 200 Tajik troops will participate in a joint anti-terrorism drill with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China next month, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

Major General Tohir Hayrulloev, first deputy chief of the general staff of Tajikistan's armed forces, will lead a group of officers and soldiers from the special rapid reaction unit to take part in the military exercises, the ministry said in a statement.

The drill, dubbed Peace Mission-2014, will be held on Aug. 24-29 at a training base in China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.

It will be the fifth joint military exercise within the framework of the SCO, with the aim of deterring the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism in the region.

It also aims to safeguard peace and stability in SCO member countries, and improve the coordinated anti-terror capability of the participating troops.