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A state of emergency was declared in the authoritarian country
Photo: PAVEL MIKHEYEV / REUTERS
The military intervened after violent riots in Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
"Terrorist gangs" had fought a fight with paratroopers in the city of Almaty, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in a televised address.
The city's airport was liberated from demonstrators after the occupation.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should help counter a "terrorist threat," said Tokayev.
The "terrorist gangs" take control of large infrastructure facilities in the country.
It was the President's second televised address in a matter of hours.
The CSTO includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan has been plunged into a deep crisis by violent protests against high gas prices.
The government resigned on Wednesday after unprecedented unrest.
A state of emergency was declared in the authoritarian country.
Riots broke out in the economic metropolis of Almaty.
Protesters stormed the city administration and the residence of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
At least eight police officers killed
At least eight police officers and soldiers of the National Guard were killed in the violent riots, according to the Kazakh media, according to the Interior Ministry.
317 others were injured.
Tokayev had previously spoken of fatalities in the unrest in the ranks of the security forces.
The situation was initially confusing.
There were no exact numbers of victims.
It is the biggest wave of protests in years in the former Soviet republic, which was ruled for decades by the ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev (read more here).
The country with more than 18 million inhabitants borders among others with Russia and China.
It is rich in oil, gas, and uranium.
Nevertheless, Kazakhstan is struggling with mismanagement and poverty.
Corruption is widespread.
USA calls for "restraint"
In Almaty as well as the capital Nur-Sultan and the Mangystau region, a state of emergency had already applied.
President Kassym-Schomart Tokayev had imposed it in response to unprecedented mass protests that were initially directed against rising gas prices, but quickly expanded into demonstrations critical of the government.
On Wednesday morning, Tokayev sacked the government in response to the protests.
At the same time he issued a warning to the demonstrators: "I intend to be as tough as possible," he said in a televised address.
He accused the demonstrators of "massive attacks" on the security forces;
several police officers were killed or injured.
The USA called on the Kazakh authorities to "restrain".
Protesters in the Central Asian country should have the opportunity to "peacefully express their views," said US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Psaki also denied Russian claims that the US played a role in the protests in Kazakhstan.
These allegations are "absolutely wrong and clearly part of the Russian script for disinformation," she stressed.
kim / dpa / Reuters / AFP