China and Kazakhstan on Thursday finished the first phase of a joint anti-terror drill in Kazakhstan's eastern Almaty region.

The three-day exercise, code-named "Tianshan-I (2006)," drew the participation of law enforcement bodies and special forces of the two countries.

This is the first-ever joint anti-terror exercise between the two countries' law enforcement bodies and special forces within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The first phase started in the Almaty region at 11:30 AM (05:30 GMT) and ended at 4:50 PM (10:50 GMT).

Kazakhstan's border guards used gunship helicopters, armored anti-riot vehicles and other military equipment in the drill.

Zhang Chongde, an observer from China's Ministry of Public Security, said the two countries' law enforcement bodies strengthened their cooperation to jointly fight terrorist forces through well-planned and effective practice in the first phase of the exercise.

The drill also boosted the SCO's capability to fight terror, indicating that SCO member states had made progress in the field of security cooperation, he added.

The second phase of the drill will be held in Yining, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that borders Kazakhstan.

According to China's Ministry of Public Security, the exercise is aimed at implementing the consensus reached at an SCO summit in June to enhance security cooperation among SCO member states, and improve coordination between their law enforcement bodies and special forces.

The drill, the third of its kind conducted within the SCO framework, was witnessed by observers from SCO member states and other countries.

The SCO, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, announced in April that it would also hold joint anti-terror drills in 2007.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2006)