Tulkun Kasimov ( uz, Тулкун Юлдашевич Касымов, translit=Tulkun Yuldashevich Qosimov) is a Soviet-Uzbek retired military officer who has served as first person to hold the post of Chief of the Joint Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the

Armed Forces of Uzbekistan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ўзбекистон Республикаси Қуролли Кучлари), is the name of the unified armed forces of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Ground Force and the Air and Air Defence f ...

from 2000 to 2003. After retirement, he served in the reserve of the Armed Forces.

Biography

He was born in the city of

Jizzakh , image_caption = , image_seal = Jizzax gerb.png , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Uzbekistan , pushpin_label_position = bottom , pushpin_map_caption = L ...

in the

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Uzbekistan (, ) is the common English name for the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR; uz, Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси, Oʻzbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi, in Russian: Уз� ...

in 1945, In 1962, he joined the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

and entered the

Tashkent Higher All-Arms Command School The Tashkent Higher All-Arms Command School () was a military academy of the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan. It was previously known as the Tashkent Higher Combined Arms Command School named after Vladimir Lenin (). It was one of the oldest mi ...

. In 1966 he graduated from his studies, receiving the military rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. For active participation in the sports life of the school, good studies, he got the opportunity to choose a place of service. He was sent to the

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupati ...

as the commander of the motorized rifle platoon. After 2 years he was promoted to the position of company commander. In 1972, he was sent to the

North Caucasian Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla. It comprised the Republic of Adygeya, ...

as battalion commander and a year later he went to the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (russian: Военная академия имени М. В. Фрунзе), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (rus ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. After he successfully completed his studies in 1976, he was sent as first deputy regimental commander to the city of Kyzyl-Arbat in

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

, In November 1978, by order of the Ministry of Defense, he was appointed commander of a motorized rifle regiment of the

Turkestan Military District The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...

in the city of

Termez Termez ( uz, Termiz/Термиз; fa, ترمذ ''Termez, Tirmiz''; ar, ترمذ ''Tirmidh''; russian: Термез; Ancient Greek: ''Tàrmita'', ''Thàrmis'', ) is the capital of Surxondaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. Administratively, it is ...

. In April 1979, for the regiment's achievements in combat and political training and the state of military discipline, he was awarded the early military rank of lieutenant colonel.

War in Afghanistan

On December 25, 1979, the 180th Motorized Rifle Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Kasymov, ensured the unhindered advance of divisional units by crossing the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin language, Latin name or Greek ) is a major rive ...

river at the outset of the

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

. The regiment has successfully completed the assigned task. From February to April 1980, the 180th MRD took part in 20 operations to destroy

Mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

formations.

Further military service

USSR

In November 1980, by order of the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, he was appointed chief of staff of the

108th Motor Rifle Division The 108th Nevelskaya Motor Rifle Division, abbreviated as the "108th MRD," was a unit of the Soviet Ground Forces and the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan. It was the successor to the 360th Rifle Division. The division was created in August 1941 by t ...

, which was located in the city of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. In August 1982 he was appointed Commander of the 4th Guards Division in the city of Termez. In October 1984, by a decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR, he was awarded the military rank of Major General. In September 1988, he was appointed First Deputy Commander of the 31st Army Corps of the city of

Kutaisi Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...

(

Georgian SSR The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц� ...

) in the area of responsibility of the

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...

Uzbekistan

The former

40th Army The 40th Army (, ''40-ya obshchevoyskovaya armiya'', "40th Combined Arms Army") of the Soviet Ground Forces was an army-level command that participated in World War II from 1941 to 1945 and was reformed specifically for the Soviet–Afghan War fro ...

, which was withdrawn from Afghanistan in February 1989, was stationed in the city of

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

and renamed the 1st Army Corps. In March 1992, he was appointed commander of the 1st Army Corps. In March 1996, he was appointed head of the Main Inspectorate of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In August 1996, by decree of President

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...

, he was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General . In the spring of 1997, Lieutenant General Kasymov was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Defense for Combat Training. In the spring of 1998, a decision was made to transform the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense into the General Staff of the Armed Forces, of which Kasymov was appointed Chief in 2000. In addition, he was entrusted with the duties of the head of the

military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

. During this period, he cooperated with

Esen Topoev Esen Tolenovich Topoev ( ky, Эсен Толенович Топоев) is a Kyrgyz general and the former Minister of Defense of Kyrgyzstan. Career Soviet Army service He was born on 28 February 1952 in the city of Kyzyl-Kiya. He joined the ...

of the

Kyrgyz army The Kyrgyz Ground Forces, also commonly known as the Kyrgyz Army is the infantry branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. History In April 1992, Kyrgyzstan formed a State Committee for Defense Affairs, and in June the republic ...

in combating terrorism.

Later life

He retired in 2003 and lives in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

Awards

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

(April 1980) * Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" III degree (February 15, 1979) * Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" II degree (February 20, 1991) * Order of the Star " III degree" (Afghanistan) * Shon-Sharaf Order II degree (January 1998) * Shon-Sharaf Order I degree (August 2001) * Breastplate "Internationalist Warrior"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasimov, Tulkun Living people Chiefs of the General Staff (Uzbekistan) 1945 births Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 3rd class Recipients of the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR", 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Red Star