Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan hold joint anti-terrorism drills in Mangistau rgn
The joint operational and tactical special drills Kanzhar 2023 took place within the Oimasha polygon in Mangistau region. The active part of the drills was supervised by defense ministers of the two countries Colonel General Ruslan Zhakssylykov and General Lieutenant Bakhodir Kurbanov.
Uzbekistan hosted the first stage of the joint drills in early August this year. As part of the second stage, the practical actions were carried out in the Oimasha polygon, Atyrau garrison, in conditions of high air temperatures and dustiness in the daytime and nighttime.
The Kazakh and Uzbek special forces tactical unit faced a task to detect, localize, and liquidate illegal armed groups.
In addition, the drills involved disengagement, ambush tactics, liberation and retention of settlements by assault forces in the daytime, and blocking and elimination of illegal armed groups in a night battle.
The drills were carried out in conditions as close to combat as possible, with deployment of infantry fighting vehicles, artillery and anti-aircraft systems, MI-8 and MI-35 helicopters, SU-30 SM and Skylark 1LЕX aircrafts.