A test of strength is displayed in a game called Avderspak, two men on horseback lock hands and play tug-of-war in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 13, 2000. Two Kazakh performer demonstrates this traditional game as part of the Gala concert by the Kazakh stars during the opening ceramonies of CENTRASBAT 2000 in Kazakhstan. The Gala Concert was a show by Kazakhstanis showing a variety of traditional dances and cultural events. CENTRASBAT is a multi-national peacekeeping and humanitarian relief exercise sponsored by U.S. Central Command (U.S. CENTCOM) and hosted by former Soviet Republic Kazakhstan in Central Asia, from Sept. 11-20. Exercise participants include approximately 300 U. S. troops,..

The original finding aid described this photograph as:

[Complete] Scene Caption: A test of strength is displayed in a game called Avderspak, two men on horseback lock hands and play tug-of-war in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 13, 2000. Two Kazakh performer demonstrates this traditional game as part of the Gala concert by the Kazakh stars during the opening ceramonies of CENTRASBAT 2000 in Kazakhstan. The Gala Concert was a show by Kazakhstanis showing a variety of traditional dances and cultural events. CENTRASBAT is a multi-national peacekeeping and humanitarian relief exercise sponsored by U.S. Central Command (U.S. CENTCOM) and hosted by former Soviet Republic Kazakhstan in Central Asia, from Sept. 11-20. Exercise participants include approximately 300 U. S. troops, including personnel from U.S. CENTCOM, from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., the 5th Special Forces Group from Fort Campbell, Ky., and 300 Kazakhstan soldiers. Other participating nations include: Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Mongolia. CENTRASBAT originated in 1996, and was concepted to form a battalion of soldiers from the former Soviet Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan to serve as a key component in developing a regional security and cooperation structure. CENTRASBAT 00 will test U.S. and Central Asian units combat readiness and ability to conduct peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, as well as develop and build cooperative relationships between the respective states and assist in laying the foundation for future peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.

Subject Operation/Series: CENTRASBAT 00

Base: Ili Base Camp, Almaty

Country: Kazakhstan (KAZ)

Scene Camera Operator: SSGT Jeremy T. Lock, USAF

Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files