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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Tajikistan
Index
Tajikistan began assembling its own army in February 1993. The initial
units were drawn from Popular Front forces active in the civil war. In the
new army, those bands initially kept their distinct identity and their old
commanders. This proved to be an impediment to the development of a
cohesive military when some units resisted subordination to any higher
authority, and casualties resulted from battles among units. Early in
1996, a rebellion by the First Battalion of Tajikistan's army, based in
the Qurghonteppa area, brought about the replacement of the prime
minister, a deputy prime minister, and the president's chief of staff to
placate the rebel unit.
By the mid-1990s, Tajikistan's army numbered about 3,000 personnel.
Russians, many of them veterans of the war in Afghanistan, made up almost
three-quarters of the officer corps. The Russian Ministry of Defense
continued to provide material assistance to Tajikistan's army. Through the
mid-1990s, Tajikistan did not have an air force but relied instead on
Russian air power; however, the Dushanbe government voiced the intention
of purchasing some helicopters for military use and forming an air force
squadron.
Data as of March 1996
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