, Russian special operations forces supported by helicopters took part in a joint anti-terrorism drill with Kyrgyzstan on Oct. 5, as Moscow seeks to counter U.S. military presence in its traditional sphere of influence.
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet Central Asian state, is home to a U.S. military airbase set up in 2001 to support American operations in Afghanistan.
The exercises, held high in the mountains of southern Kyrgyzstan, involved 400 special armed forces and aircraft from a Russian airbase near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
“These exercises are aimed at deflecting real threats,” Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said after the drill.
“We are ready to help our allies not only on paper … but also in terms of military assistance,” he told reporters.
The scenario for the training exercise involved troops freeing hostages seized by militants in a Kyrgyz village.
During their talks earlier in the day, Ivanov told President Kurmanbek Bakiyev that Russia would supply helicopters to the Central Asian nation as part of its defense assistance.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan say their military cooperation could help prevent what they see as a growing threat by Islamist extremists in the region. Rights groups have accused a number of Central Asian governments of clamping down on dissent under the veil of their war against terrorism.
But analysts say there is also a tussle between Moscow and Washington for influence in Central Asia, an energy-rich region near to China
