From 25 to 28 November, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Border Troops and Customs Committee of Uzbekistan held a national training course for border and customs officers to identify suspected foreign terrorist fighters and other criminals at border crossings.
“We must be mindful of cross-border threats related to movement of foreign terrorist fighters, drugs, artifacts, human, organ and other forms of trafficking. This training was a great opportunity to exchange experience and knowledge in their identification at the borders and develop new skills in this area,” said Zakirov Bekhzod, Deputy Head of the Customs Department for the Samarkand Region of Uzbekistan.
The 18 first- and second-line border and customs officers participated in practical exercises and were trained on identity management, crisis management, methods for detecting illicit small arms and light weapons, and techniques for preventing trafficking in human beings. The course also included a site visit to “Jartepa”, an Uzbek-Tajik border checkpoint, where in-person demonstrations of specialized equipment and operational procedures for inspecting passengers and cargos took place.
