First PLA unit for SCO anti-terror drills in Kazakhstan leaves Beijing

A 107-strong Chinese military unit set off from here Thursday morning on a military plane for anti-terrorism drills in south Kazakhstan.

The drills will be conducted under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The unit will be the first People's Liberation Army (PLA) unit to arrive at the drills named "Peace Mission 2010," the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The first PLA unit to leave for the drills took a train Tuesday from Zhurihe, Inner Mongolia, where a PLA military training base is located. The train is expected to arrive next Tuesday.

About 5,000 troops from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan will participate in the drills which run from Sept. 9 to 25.

Source: Xinhua