There are elite special forces units in Central Asia. But which country’s fighters – Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, etc. – the best in the region?
- Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan special forces were trained first by Russian, then by American instructors. Turkey and England also helped the country in the preparation process. Today, these special forces are distinguished by their mobility and readiness to fulfill their task of eliminating armed groups that illegally entered the territory of Uzbekistan.
- Kazakhstan Aircraft Corps (VDV). This is a branch of the army, which is part of the country’s ground forces. It was founded in 2000. The total number of air mobile troops is about 6 thousand people.
- Kyrgyzstan’s 25th Special Purpose Brigade “Scorpion”. The history of this brigade begins in 1994. Then a special forces company was formed, which was later reorganized as the 25th brigade. Among the tasks of Scorpio at the moment – ensuring the internal and external security of the country, conducting intelligence, fighting terrorism, fighting illegal armed groups.
- Berkut unit of the Kazakhstan National Guard. The National Guard was formed in 2014. It is necessary to ensure the safety of citizens, society, the state as a whole. Today “Berkut” has distribution locations in all major cities of Kazakhstan. Special forces also take part in counter-terrorism and special operations.
- “Sunkar” – special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan. This group was founded in 1998. The main task of the unit is the fight against terrorism, the release of hostages, the destruction of bombs, etc. The total number of this unit is more than 100 people.
- Special Forces of the State Security Service of Uzbekistan. The secret services of this country are better classified than similar service systems in the south of the former USSR. Now the main task of the special services of Uzbekistan is the fight against terrorists.
- State Border Service “Pipe” Special Forces Detachment. It was founded in December 2002 and got its current name in 2007. This is one of the most famous and most secret units. Fighters are involved in the protection of borders and the solution of problems that arise there, counter-terrorism operations, intelligence, etc. performs related tasks.
- Special Forces of the State Committee of National Security of Tajikistan. The first special unit in Tajikistan appeared in 1991. Now the special forces are dealing with strong opposition to domestic terrorism and political banditry against mercenaries trained abroad. Now the base of the unit consists of fighters with military experience.
- Special Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan. This detachment was created on the basis of the OMON detachments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Turkmen SSR. There is also a special prison special forces group. Special forces are also being trained to quell public unrest.
- Tajikistan’s separate motorized rifle rapid response brigade. The armed forces of Tajikistan are the only army in the post-Soviet space, where after the collapse of the USSR almost nothing remained. However, this did not prevent this army from getting ready for battle in time. Among Tajikistan’s troops there is a fast-reacting motorized rifle brigade. A distinctive feature of the Tajikistan special forces is their good readiness and the ability to conduct combat operations in mountainous areas with limited visibility.
Source: Ferra
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
