DUSHANBE, May 12, 2013, Asia-Plus – On Friday May 10, nineteen officers from the Afghan Border Police completed today a five-week training course on patrolling and leadership organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

Most of the graduates currently serve in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.

According to the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, during the course, they learned how to plan and conduct observation missions with the use of topographical maps, satellite imagery and other tools, developed patrol planning and management techniques, and improved their skills in reporting and analysis, mountaineering and first aid in the field.

Ambassador Markus Mueller, the Acting Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan congratulated the officers on completing the course and said: "Enhancing border security on the Tajik-Afghan border through training of Border officers from both countries continues to be among OSCE’s priority projects."

The course was the seventh held under the second phase of a Patrol Programming and Leadership Project, aimed at enhancing the capacities of Tajik and Afghan border staff in detection and interdiction of illegal cross-border movements.

Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Tajikistan, Abdul Ghaffar Arzu, and senior border officers of Tajikistan attended this ceremony.  The two outgoing Afghan Border Police Liaison Officers to the Office in Tajikistan, Colonel Faizullah Darwazi and Captain Azizullah Tahzib received certificates of appreciation for their support during their one year tour of duty.