SCO members hold joint counterterrorism drills in Belarus

A joint counterterrorism exercise involving competent authorities from Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states was held in Minsk, Belarus, from Oct 4 to 8, with Chinese police forces participating, the Ministry of Public Security said on Saturday.

Code-named "Eurasia-Antiterror-2026", the exercise was conducted under a decision by the Council of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, or RATS. It marked the first time Belarus had hosted such an exercise since joining the SCO.

The exercise aimed to identify and eliminate threats posed by international terrorist organizations within SCO member states in response to changes in the international and regional security situation, the ministry said. It also sought to strengthen the operational capabilities of relevant authorities, improve coordination in joint counterterrorism operations and build experience in international law enforcement and security cooperation.

Counterterrorism and law enforcement personnel from China's Ministry of Public Security and other SCO member states participated in the exercise. Representatives from member states and the RATS executive committee formed a joint command to organize and oversee the drills, which were conducted in two phases.

In the first phase, competent authorities from participating countries exchanged counterterrorism intelligence and conducted operational responses to designated scenarios under the coordination of the RATS executive committee.

The second phase involved joint field drills, following an invitation from Belarus to participating forces from other member states in accordance with SCO procedures governing joint counterterrorism operations and exercises.

The drills covered operations against terrorists in crowded public places, hostage rescue, responses to terrorist attacks involving drones, explosive ordnance search and disposal, and operations against illegal armed groups in rural and residential areas.

Chinese participants took part in an explosive ordnance search and disposal drill, carrying out a series of operations that included establishing a security perimeter, conducting reconnaissance and verification, disposing of the simulated threat on-site and performing post-operation inspections.

The ministry said the Chinese contingent successfully neutralized the simulated explosive threat and completed its assigned task, demonstrating the tactical skills and comprehensive response capabilities of China's police counterterrorism forces.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO. Over the past 25 years, China and other member states have strengthened law enforcement and security cooperation, developed a framework of legal documents for international cooperation and established various practical cooperation mechanisms, the ministry said.

Regular joint counterterrorism exercises have been an important part of these efforts, helping member states strengthen their capacity to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, jointly address security threats and challenges, and safeguard regional security, it added.