The U.S. Embassy in Tashkent handed over 17 tons of communications and other equipment worth $1.8 million to the Uzbek border and customs services on 22 August. The equipment --which includes surveillance equipment, protective and medical supplies, transport, and radios and antennas -- is part of a program for export control and border protection that is being financed by the U.S. State Department. According to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, since the start of the program in April 2000, the government of Uzbekistan has received $5.3 million worth of equipment and training. Lieutenant General Gafurjon Tishaev, head of Uzbekistan\'s Committee for Protecting the State Border, attributed the U.S. generosity to the common U.S. and Uzbek interest in fighting terrorism, drug and weapons trafficking, and organized crime. (RIA-Novosti)