On September 23, U.S. Embassy Dushanbe delivered over 60 different pieces of tactical equipment to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ police special operations group “OMON”, an elite law enforcement agency of the Republic of Tajikistan. The tactical items were presented by U.S. Ambassador Susan M. Elliott after remarks given by Major General Mattson, Director of Training and Exercises for U.S. Central Command.
Major General Mattson highlighted the outstanding contribution OMON has made toward combatting narcotics trafficking and expressed hopes for continuing a strong partnership with all of Tajikistan’s security services. Major General Mattson anticipates that this equipment delivery will help OMON expand their operational capacity in duration, accuracy, and safety. America has had tremendous success with this advanced gear, and the goal is to afford OMON with the same achievement.
The tactical equipment provided, valued at 260 thousand U.S. dollars, will be used to bolster the government of Tajikistan’s counter-narcotics and border security efforts. This equipment represents the latest material contribution by the U.S. Central Command’s counter-narcotics program, which has provided over 130 million U.S. dollars in direct assistance to law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan over the last ten years.
