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Soldiers in Almaty
Photo: Mariya Gordeyeva / REUTERS
According to the Interior Ministry, 26 demonstrators were killed during the protests against the government in Kazakhstan.
In addition, there were more than 3,000 arrests in the Central Asian country, the state broadcaster Khabar 24 reported on Friday morning, citing the ministry.
The authority therefore spoke of "armed criminals".
Another 18 of them were injured.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that the anti-terrorist operations - which he called this - should continue until the "fighters are completely exterminated".
Order has now been restored in the country.
He wanted to address the Kazakh people at noon.
In Kazakhstan there have been violent protests against the authoritarian leadership of the country for days.
The unrest in the ex-Soviet republic, which is rich in oil and gas, was triggered by displeasure at the rise in fuel prices at petrol stations.
But they quickly turned into partly violent protests against the government, corruption and abuse of power.
In Almaty in the south-east of the country, where the riots were particularly violent, armed demonstrators are said to have holed up in the building of a television station.
Order in the country has largely been restored, said Tokayev.
The head of state wanted to address the Kazakh people in a speech at noon.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General's office started criminal proceedings for organizing and participating in mass riots.
In addition, the state broadcaster Khabar 24 reported on Friday night that pre-trial investigations had been initiated into the "carrying out of acts of terrorism."
If convicted, there is a risk, in the worst case, of life imprisonment and withdrawal of citizenship.
International concern about further escalation
Kazakhstan was ruled for decades by the authoritarian ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retained great influence even after his resignation in 2019. In response to the protests, the current President Tokayev dismissed the entire government and imposed a nationwide state of emergency.
Abroad, concerns about a further escalation are growing. "A quick calming of the situation is essential in order to avert further bloodshed, a destabilization of the country and thus damage to Kazakhstan as a business and investment location," said the Eastern Committee of German Business. Kazakhstan is "by far the most important German trading partner in Central Asia."
The Foreign Office reported that they were exchanging ideas with closest local partners about developments in Kazakhstan.
The task now is to find a peaceful solution "within the framework of a comprehensive dialogue with all those involved".
The USA also spoke out again for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken phoned his Kazakh colleague Muchtar Tleuberdi on Thursday evening.
Blinken had reaffirmed "the United States' full support for the constitutional institutions of Kazakhstan and the freedom of the media," the State Department in Washington later said.
There were also warnings from the EU that the violence must come to an end.
as / dpa / Reuters
