Riots Kazakhstan: Dozens of Protesters Killed, Russia Sends Troops

Almaty, MINA – New violence erupted in Kazakhstan’s largest city on Thursday, when Russia deployed paratroopers to quell a country-wide insurgency, which is one of Moscow’s closest allies.

Police in the main city of Almaty said they had killed dozens of protesters. Authorities say at least 18 members of the security forces were killed, including two found beheaded. More than 2,000 people have been arrested.

Burning vehicles filled the streets of Almaty, several government buildings were destroyed and bullet casings were strewn in the courtyard of the presidential residence, which was stormed and looted by protesters on Wednesday.

“I didn’t know our people could be so scary,” said Samal, a 29-year-old kindergarten teacher, Al Jazeera reported.

Military personnel regained control of the main airport previously seized by protesters. On Thursday night renewed clashes in Almaty’s main square, which was occupied alternately by troops and hundreds of protesters throughout the day.

The deployment of Russian troops is a gamble by the Kremlin that a swift military power can secure its interests in the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation.

It was the worst violence since Kazakhstan’s 30 years of independence.

Local media reports said security forces had cleared demonstrators from the square and other key government buildings, but there were also reports of gunfire elsewhere in the city.

The internet was shut down across the country, making it impossible to gauge the level of unrest. But the violence is unprecedented in a country ruled firmly since Soviet times by leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is still in control despite stepping down three years ago as president.

Nazarbayev’s successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev summoned Russian troops as part of a Moscow-led military alliance of ex-Soviet countries, to fight what they called foreign-trained “terrorist groups”.

Moscow said it would consult with Kazakhstan and its allies on measures to support Kazakh “counter-terrorist operations”. Moscow reiterated Tokayev’s statement that the uprising was foreign-inspired. However, neither Kazakhstan nor Russia provided any evidence to support the claim.

Moscow’s government did not reveal how many troops were sent or what role they played, and it was impossible to determine the extent to which Russia might have been involved in Thursday’s unrest. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)