Kazakhstan Special Forces have won an international competition among special purpose intelligence forces, a Tengrinews correspondent reports citing the press service of the Defense Ministry of Kazakhstan.

Called Altyn Uki-2015, the competition took place in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Oblast. Five days of competitions involved groups of elite special forces from Belarus, China, Russia, the United States and Kazakhstan demonstrating their skills.

According to participants, the competition was quite difficult. Each stage required high endurance, strength, well-coordinated teamwork and good training of each participant. Weather conditions made the competition even more challenging - scorching sun and dry climate.

The participants crossed dozens of kilometers, showed skills in shooting on the move and from awkward positions at different targets in the daytime and nighttime, demonstrated their medical training, mining and demolition, overcoming obstacles, and completed a 30-kilometer march that involved orienteering in a rugged terrain.

The teams were able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to share experience with each other.

"Our team, in my opinion, is the most experienced here. Almost all the team members participated in operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. For us, the problem was the tactics. We work very differently. But that's the goal of our competition - to learn from each other’s experience. In addition, I think we have found a lot of friends here," said one of the soldiers of U.S. Green Berets Michael Brown.

At the end of the competition the winners were awarded prizes and gifts from the leadership of the Defense Ministry. The Golden Cup "Altyn Ukі-2015" was awarded to the Special Forces of Kazakhstan, the Silver one – to the fighters from China. Soldiers from China also won in the nomination "The best pair of snipers". The third place was shared by teams from Russia and Belarus. A diploma "For the will to win" was awarded to a Belarusian fighter, who participated in the competition with a foot injury. The American Green Berets won in the nomination "The best demolitionists."

By Dinara Urazova