Russian, French combat aircraft to leave Dushanbe - Tajik official
20/07/2007 17:25 DUSHANBE, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and French military aircraft will be redeployed from the Dushanbe International Airport to a nearby airbase after it is completed, a state-run air carrier said Friday.
"The Russian and French military contingents will be redeployed following the reconstruction of the Aini air base to the west of Dushanbe," said Firuz Khamroyev, first deputy general director of Tajik Air.
At present, Russian and French combat aircraft occupy the major part of the runway and taxiway strip at the international airport, which hampers its work, the official said.
The Aini military airfield, 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the country's capital, will eventually host four Russian Su-27 Flanker fighters and two Mi-8 Hip transport helicopters, and a French contingent of three Rafale fighters, three Mirage military jets, and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
The Russian contingent is part of the 201st military base in Tajikistan, and the French group is supporting operations by the antiterrorism coalition in Afghanistan.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070720/69363646.html 
July 21st, 2007
