Independence Day Parade - Flickr - Kerri-Jo (34)

The Internal Troops of Turkmenistan ( Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň içerki goşunlary) is a service branch of the

Armed Forces of Turkmenistan The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň Ýaragly Güýçleri), known informally as the Turkmen National Army () is the national military of Turkmenistan. It consists of the Turkmen Ground Forces, Ground Forces, the Turkmen Air F ...

under the auspices of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

. It is one of three types of paramilitary forces in the country, with the other two being the

Turkmen National Guard The National Guard of Turkmenistan ( Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Milli Garawul) is an elite branch of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň Ýaragly Güýçleri), known informally as the Turkmen ...

and the Turkmen Border Troops. It is designed to maintain law and order and enforce the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

in terms of state sovereignty. It aides the Turkmen National Police in everyday activities, similarly to the Military Police Corps in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. In an operational view, the internal troops are organized similarly to the

Turkmen Ground Forces The Turkmen Ground Forces () is the army branch of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. The ground forces include the 2nd, 3rd, 11th, and 22nd Motor Rifle Divisions as well as smaller units consisting of various types of troops. History The b ...

, both consisting of sub-units. The Internal Troops consists of between 20,000 and 25,000 personnel.

Tasks

The main tasks of the Internal Troops since its establishment in January 1992 have been: *Protect the rights and freedoms of citizens and ensure their personal security *Enforce the law and keep public order *Suppress and/or eradicate criminal offenses caused by high-profile criminals *Investigate high-profile crimes *Ensure road safety and compliance with road laws

Military Unit 1001

The Military Unit 1001 named after Mälikguly Berdimuhamedow is one of the more notable units of the Internal Troops. Located in

Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...

, it is named in honour of Mälikguly Berdimuhamedowiç Berdimuhamedow (renamed by order of Assembly Chairman

Akja Nurberdiýewa Akja Tajiyevna Nurberdiyeva or Akja Täjiýewna Nurberdiýewa (born 1957) is a Turkmen politician who has served as the Chairperson of the Assembly of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2018. She replaced Öwezgeldi Ataýew Öwezgeldi Ataýew ( rus, links ...

in 2012), a former

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of Police in a prison guard detachmentUS embassy cables: Turkmenistan president 'not a very bright guy'
''Theguardian.com'', 2 December 2010 and the father of the current

President of Turkmenistan The president of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň prezidenti), officially the president and chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, is the head of state and head of government of Turkmenistan. The president is also the supreme c ...

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow (born 29 June 1957), also known as Arkadag (Cyrillic: Аркадаг, "protector"), is a Turkmen politician who served as the second president of Turkmenistan from 2006 to 2022. A dentist by profes ...

. His old office was recreated at the barracks of the unit as well as museum. In 2013, a life-time bust was installed on the territory of the complex of buildings of the military unit. According to a former serviceman in the unit, commanders have extorted money from soldiers, being forced to pay 400 manats for a characterization issued after the end of military service.

References

Military of Turkmenistan Law enforcement in Turkmenistan Military units and formations established in 1992 1992 establishments in Turkmenistan Gendarmerie {{Turkmenistan-stub

Tasks

Military Unit 1001

See also

References