#AP30/Stories. When the French military contingent was stationed at Dushanbe airport
This report was released in 2002 when French military contingent was stationed at Dushanbe airport, participating in the international operation in Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks.
Journalist Marat Mamadshoev received a rare permission to visit the French military base at Dushanbe airport and witnessed how the French peacekeepers lived and served.
A Special Purpose TourThe wind, stirred by the September 11 attacks and scattering the Taliban, brought French peacekeepers to Dushanbe along the way. They had been stationed at the capital’s airport for almost a year.
Breaking into the French military base seemed a challenging task. Resorting to the usual methods of real spies—nighttime tunneling, hidden cameras, etc.—would have been too simple and… dangerous.
After consulting with the editor, we decided to surprise the opponent with an unexpected maneuver and directly approached the military attaché of the French Embassy in Dushanbe, Philippe Sidoss, with a request for permission to visit the base.
Our maneuver fully justified itself. After intensive consultations with his leadership in Paris, Sidoss gave his consent. So, it was without any breaking in…
And here we are, with the assistant military attaché Jean-François Holler, driving a Mitsubishi Pajero jeep to Dushanbe airport, where the French military base is located. Jean speaks Russian very well—he studied the language in school, so during the tour of the base, he becomes my personal translator.
There is concern on his face—a flood has inundated Europe and is approaching his homeland. He is from Strasbourg, the capital of the French province of Alsace, a city where the headquarters of the Council of Europe is located. This is quite close to Germany, whose reputation is already quite «dampened.»
«The weather is bad, but there is still hope that it will pass,» says Jean. He sadly agrees with my grim joke that if things continue like this, soon Tajikistan will have to provide humanitarian aid to Europe.
Meanwhile, we approach the checkpoint of the military airport, separated from the «civilian» area by a steel cable. A Tajik soldier in camouflage at the table, after brief negotiations, generously raises the improvised barrier, and we enter the camp of the French peacekeepers.
Journalist Marat Mamadshoev received a rare permission to visit the French military base at Dushanbe airport and witnessed how the French peacekeepers lived and served.
A Special Purpose TourThe wind, stirred by the September 11 attacks and scattering the Taliban, brought French peacekeepers to Dushanbe along the way. They had been stationed at the capital’s airport for almost a year.
Breaking into the French military base seemed a challenging task. Resorting to the usual methods of real spies—nighttime tunneling, hidden cameras, etc.—would have been too simple and… dangerous.
After consulting with the editor, we decided to surprise the opponent with an unexpected maneuver and directly approached the military attaché of the French Embassy in Dushanbe, Philippe Sidoss, with a request for permission to visit the base.
Our maneuver fully justified itself. After intensive consultations with his leadership in Paris, Sidoss gave his consent. So, it was without any breaking in…
And here we are, with the assistant military attaché Jean-François Holler, driving a Mitsubishi Pajero jeep to Dushanbe airport, where the French military base is located. Jean speaks Russian very well—he studied the language in school, so during the tour of the base, he becomes my personal translator.
There is concern on his face—a flood has inundated Europe and is approaching his homeland. He is from Strasbourg, the capital of the French province of Alsace, a city where the headquarters of the Council of Europe is located. This is quite close to Germany, whose reputation is already quite «dampened.»
«The weather is bad, but there is still hope that it will pass,» says Jean. He sadly agrees with my grim joke that if things continue like this, soon Tajikistan will have to provide humanitarian aid to Europe.
Meanwhile, we approach the checkpoint of the military airport, separated from the «civilian» area by a steel cable. A Tajik soldier in camouflage at the table, after brief negotiations, generously raises the improvised barrier, and we enter the camp of the French peacekeepers.
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