Kazakhstan: More than 160 killed in riots, Russian forces deployed at key sites

After the Russian army arrived in the country last week to establish order there, the authorities in Kazakhstan said that the situation was stabilizing.

President Tokayev instructed to continue the operation until the "complete elimination" of the rioters.

The US administration was disturbed by the Russian intervention in the crisis, and demanded clarification from Tokaev as to why he had invited its forces to his country.

News agencies

09/01/2022

Sunday, 09 January 2022, 19:09 Updated: 20:57

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Army forces open fire on protesters in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Twitter)

Authorities in Kazakhstan said today (Sunday) that the situation in the country is stabilizing after the worst political riots in its 30 years of independence, and that Russia's aid force is securing strategic facilities. Security sources said President Kasim-Jumrat Tokayev said at a briefing that they were continuing "cleansing" operations across the former Soviet republic, bordering Russia and China.

Thousands of people were arrested and public buildings set on fire during anti-government protests last week in Kazakhstan, one of the world's largest oil and uranium producers. Tokayev on Friday ordered security forces to shoot to death without warning "criminals and terrorists," as he called the rioters.

The government channel "Haber 24" reported today that 164 people were killed in the clashes, without elaborating. State television reported that two soldiers were among those killed and 163 soldiers wounded. Police said 6,044 people were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the riots,Among them are about 400 people in the city of Shimkant near the border with Uzbekistan.

Due to the disruptions in the internet and media, it is difficult to verify the official data and statements.

So far, no official group has been set up to speak on behalf of the protesters.

At the invitation of Tokayev, forces from the Organization of the Common Security Treaty - a military alliance led by Russia that unites some of the members of the former Soviet Union - arrived in the country last week to restore order.

The Kremlin has said Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders in the alliance will hold an online conference tomorrow to discuss the situation in Kazakhstan.

More on Walla!

Kazakhstan riots: President orders firing on protesters without warning

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Russian military vehicles arrive at Almaty airport (Photo: Reuters)

"Several strategic facilities have been transferred to the protection of the United States' observer force," the presidency said in a statement. Russian Paratroopers Commander Andrei Serdyukov said the force had completed its deployment in Kazakhstan and would remain there until the situation fully stabilized. He added that the forces are securing important military, governmental and social sites in the city of Almaty, the largest in the country, and in nearby areas. He did not specify which facilities were involved.

Unverified videos posted on social media documented soldiers arriving at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a key site in Russia's space program for decades. The deployment of forces signals a determined backing provided by the Kremlin to the Kazakh authorities in an area that Moscow considers essential to its security along its southern wing.

"The counterterrorism operation will continue until the terrorists are completely eliminated," said Deputy Defense Minister Sultan Gamaltinov. "The situation has stabilized in all regions of the country,"Said the presidency and added that law enforcement agencies have taken back control of government buildings.

Russia's intervention in the crisis came at a time of great tension with the United States ahead of the talks they will hold this week on the crisis in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken today attacked the president's order to shoot indiscriminately at protesters and called for its abolition.

He added in interviews with American media that Washington is seeking clarifications from the President of Kazakhstan on the reason he requested the presence of Russian forces in his country.

Soldiers in Almaty Central Square (Photo: Reuters)

Demonstrations erupted last week in protest of rising fuel prices, but they have escalated into general outrage over Tukayev's government and the man he replaced as president, dictator Norsultan Nazarbayev.

The violence landed a blow to Kazakhstan's image as a state that enjoys a well-established and stable government, which it has used to attract hundreds of billions of dollars of Western investment in its oil and minerals industries. The riots sparked rumors of a deep rift in the ruling elite as Tokaev struggled to establish his authority after ousting senior officials and ousting Nazarbayev from the senior post of chairman of Kazakhstan's Security Council, which he has held since retiring in 2019

. He was arrested on suspicion of treason and charged with felony criminal mischief for firing on a sculpture with a shotgun, according to state television.

ATMs cut off in riots in Almaty (Photo: Reuters)

In a statement intended to fend off reports of a crisis between the leaders, Nazarbayev's spokesman said he had been in the capital Nur-Sultan - named after him - throughout the crisis and chose himself to transfer the post of Security Council chairman to Tukayev

. Of the barricade '.

"In these difficult days, they have demonstrated to all of us the unified nature of state authority," a statement calling on citizens to unite around Tukayev said in a statement.

In Almaty, the focus of protests and riots, the situation seems to be returning to normal today under heavy security by security forces, who have set up checkpoints across the city. Shattered windows, disconnected ATMs and burning buildings served as evidence of destruction, and Republic Square, home to the mayor's burned-out office, remained closed. One road leading to the main square was blocked by the police and another was blocked by a burned bus. Military vehicles with machine guns were documented traveling toward the square, with most of the dozens of cars and vehicles set on fire during the demonstrations being evacuated from the roads.

A spokesman for the Magnum supermarket chain said 15 of its 68 stores in the city had been looted. In one of the malls in the city, staff members told Reuters that security cameras recorded looters attacking ATMs, changing into stolen clothes in stores and going out wearing two or three coats. "They arrived at night in cars without license plates, destroyed everything. They took everything they could - shoes, clothes, cosmetics," said Yarkin Zumbekov,The mall manager.

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