OSCE trains Tajik Border Troops officers on patrol leadership

DUSHANBE, 18 March 2016 – Twenty officers from the Main Directorate of Tajik Border Troops completed today a regular four-week training course on patrolling and leadership, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, at the Gissar Training Centre, Tajikistan.

The graduates, ranked from warrant officer to major, came from border detachments at the Afghan-Tajik border. During the training, they learned how to plan and conduct observation missions with the use of topographical maps, satellite imagery and other tools. They also developed their patrol planning and observation techniques, and improved their skills in reporting and analysis, mountaineering and first aid in the field.

Representatives of the local Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also conducted lessons on refugees and migration. Each student received uniform clothing and common tactical equipment during the training.

“Building the capacities of Tajikistan’s border guards plays a crucial role in strengthening security at the border, and we remain dedicated to supporting such efforts,” said the Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, Ambassador Markus Mueller. 

The course is the fifth to be held under the third phase of the Patrol Programming and Leadership Project with the aim of enhancing the capacities of Tajik border staff in detecting and interdicting illegal cross-border movements.