OSCE Office in Tajikistan supports training courses on Improvised Explosive Devices Defeat

The second training course facilitated by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on Improvised Explosive Devices Defeat (IED-D) for Tajik and Afghan specialists concluded in Dushanbe on 5 November 2015.   

17 representatives of national armed forces, national mine action co-ordination authorities and supporting agencies from Tajikistan and Afghanistan completed the training course. It follows the first course held on 26-30 October 2015 and attended by fifteen military specialists from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

“OSCE-facilitated joint trainings in the field of explosive hazards expand trust and co-operation among militaries and relevant agencies in Central Asia,” said Markus Mueller, the Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. “The participation of Afghan specialists in joint training courses in Tajikistan is of significant importance. It implies an important role of Central Asian countries in contributing to stability in Afghanistan and in regional security.”

Muhabbat Ibrohimzoda, Director of the Tajikistan National Mine Action Centre, said: “Tajikistan recognizes the present-day threats of improvised explosive devices and the need to address these challenges throughout the region and on a global level.”

The courses were hosted by Tajikistan’s Defence Ministry and facilitated by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in partnership with US ARCENT and supported by the U.S. Embassy’s Office for Military Co-operation in Dushanbe. It was financed by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Since 2009, the OSCE has been supporting the development of co-operative mechanisms on a technical level among states in Central Asia and Afghanistan to address concerns and challenges stemming from explosive hazards.