US questions deployment of Russian military aid in Kazakhstan amid ongoing civil unrest

As the situation in Kazakhstan worsened amid the week-long anti-government demonstrations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday questioned the deployment of Russian military aid to curb the escalated violence.

Speaking at a regular press briefing in Washington, Blinken highlighted that it was unclear why Kazakh authorities felt the need to order for any "outside assistance". Blinken's remarks come after Russian paratroopers on Friday assisted Kazakh military forces to disperse agitators from important areas in Almaty City. Meanwhile, the US has authorised the departure of non-essential staff from its consulate in Kazakhstan amid concerns over the violent civil unrest.

"It would seem to me that the Kazakh authorities and government certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with protests to do so in a way that respects the rights of protesters while maintaining law and order. So it's not clear why they feel the need for any outside assistance. So we're trying to learn more about it, " Blinken said during the briefing as quoted by BBC. 

Kazakh President orders "kill without warning" to quell protests

In a bid to quell raging protests in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Friday ordered peacekeeping forces to "kill without warning" as demonstrations against near-doubling prices of fuel turned more violent. Speaking at a televised public address, President Tokayev announced that he has asked the military to crush the violent protests, which were allegedly masterminded by "terrorist bandits" at all cost.

The unrest, that began earlier this week, turned bloody after at least 44, including 18 security personnel and 26 "armed criminals" were killed in the country, CNN reported.

"Terrorists continue to damage state and private property and use weapons against citizens... I gave an order to the law enforcement agencies and the army to open fire, to kill without warning," Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday, as quoted by CNN.

"What negotiations could be there with criminals and murderers? We had to deal with armed and trained bandits and terrorists, both local and foreign. Therefore they need to be destroyed and this will be done in the near future," President Tokayev said in his speech, as quoted by Washington Post.

Kazakhstan civilian unrest

Nationwide protests broke out in Kazakhstan over the past week after the government removed the cap on liquified petroleum gas (LPG), leading to a blasphemous rise in fuel prices. The president reversed the price rise on Wednesday, resulting in the resumption of the anti-government demonstrations.

Following this, President Tokayev also called for foreign intervention and allowed the deployment of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) led by Russia to disperse agitators. Russian paratroops helped clear Almaty airport to bring in some 2,500 soldiers of CSTO to curb the display of dissatisfaction against the decrepit political system of Kazakhstan, Washington Post reported. As per reports, over 4,000 protestors have been detained so far.

In the week-long anti-government protests, agitators set fire to buildings in the capital city. Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. In response to the outbursts, the whole Cabinet resigned on Wednesday. The country is also under a state of emergency until January 19.

(Image: AP)