DUSHANBE, April 1, 2016, Asia-Plus -- Twenty participants from Tajikistan''s Committee of Emergency Situation and Civil Defense graduated from the course on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear-First Responder Operations sponsored by U.S. Embassy Dushanbe’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear-First Responder Operations course focused on developing skills and knowledge that enable the participants to enhance the capability of operational responders for incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials.

The course is the first ATA course in 2016 for Tajikistan’s law enforcement agencies sponsored by Diplomatic Security’s ATA Office and facilitated by Embassy Dushanbe’s Regional Security Office.  The ATA programs adhere to the “train-the-trainer” methodology, which amplifies the number of officers able to gain skills from the trainings sponsored by the Embassy.

The ATA Office was established in 1983, and is part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.  It is an essential U.S. government mechanism that provides training, equipment, and technology to partner governments actively engaged in fighting terrorism.

Since 1992, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan has provided more than $1 billion in programs that support Tajikistan’s security, democratic institutions, education, health care, and economic growth.