Chinese soldiers descend from a helicopter in a joint drill yesterday in Russia's Chelyabinsk. The maneuver was part of the first joint exercise of the "Peace Mission 2007" anti-terrorism military drill, sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - Xinhua

A joint anti-terrorism military exercise sponsored by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will enhance the security of the regional group's member countries, participants said.

The first joint exercise was carried out yesterday near Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountains.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is not aimed against third countries and operates only in the interests of its member states," Russian Commander Vladimir Moltensky said after the two-hour exercise.

The "Peace Mission 2007" drill, involving about 6,500 military personnel from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, will be carried out in Chelyabinsk and Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Commanders from the six countries will hold consultations and make decisions in Urumqi after receiving an alert of a mock terrorist attack on a Russian town, and the field practice will then continue at Russian military ranges near Chelyabinsk.

"In terms of both scale and content, the joint drill bears historic significance as a milestone in military cooperation among the six SCO member countries," said Zhen Shouhua, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Military Science.