The Russian army announced that the troops from Russia and Uzbekistan began joint military drills on Monday near the Afghan border.
Russian and Uzbek troops would take part at the Termez military site in the "Surkhandarya" region in southern Uzbekistan, and would train to carry out missions related to guarantee territorial integrity on the border with Afghanistan, the Press Service of the Central Military District of the Russian Army said in a statement carried by Russia Today (RT).
Russia said that 1,800 of its soldiers would take part in the Tajik drills. Those separate drills are due to take place on Aug. 5-10 at Tajikistan's Harb-Maidon training ground located some 20 kilometers from the Afghan border.
Moscow will also use 420 units of military hardware for the drills, double the quantity originally planned, it said, adding that the total forces of the three countries participating in the exercises will be more than 2,500 soldiers and about 500 pieces of weapons and equipment.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had said earlier that the three countries will train to take practical measures to destroy armed gang formations, conduct aerial reconnaissance and protect facilities.
