Russian, Tajik troops hold joint drills near Afghan border

By KOSTYA MANENKOV
Associated Press

MOMIRAK FIRING RANGE, Tajikistan (AP) — Russian and Tajik troops have conducted joint drills near Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan, as part of efforts to prepare for possible security threats issuing from Afghanistan. The exercise at the Momirak firing range about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) north of the Afghan border involved armored vehicles and helicopter gunships. It was part of weeklong war games that brought together about 5,000 troops and 700 armored vehicles from Russia, Tajikistan and several other ex-Soviet nations. Russian officials said they trusted the Taliban’s pledge that they wouldn’t threaten neighbors, but noted that the Islamic State group and other militants in northern Afghanistan could try to destabilize Central Asian nations