Kazakhstan President blames Central Asia, Afghanistan, Mideast 'terrorists' for unrest

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday announced that his country defeated an attempted coup d’etat after week-long deadly and violent unrest fuelled by terrorists from Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. The Kazakh leader ordered security forces to "kill without warning” and shoot at the violent protests that wreaked havoc by setting ablaze on public property and the government infrastructure in the former Soviet nation.

These ‘terrorists’ said the Kazakh leader, had taken to the street rampage in the guise of the fuel hike protesters to jeopardize the law and order situation. As many as 8,000 perpetrators were arbitrarily arrested as security forces, many of whom were among the casualties, tackled one of the worst unrest in the central Asian nation’s history since its independence 30 years ago, as per the ground reports. The central Asian country on January 10 observed a 'day of mourning' for dozens who lost lives in the clashes.

“It was an attempted coup d’etat,” Tokayev said during the video conference with leaders from several ex-Soviet countries.

Vendors clean up their store that was broken into and looted during clashes in Almaty, Kazakhstan. [Credit: AP]

'Terrorist aggression'

Describing the so-called civilian unrest in Kazakhstan as “terrorist aggression” that flared from energy prices protest into a collective violent rebellion against the country’s authoritarian rule, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan’s counterintelligence and anti-terrorism agency stabilized the riots and that the situation was now “under control.”  

At least 164 people were killed, including three children, but the figures of the death toll remain unknown. Kazakhstan’s Information Ministry retracted in a statement saying that more than 164 people had died. It rectified the numerous publications on "technical mistakes” on the casualties figures, which goes to explain that the toll in the country marred with deadly attacks was perhaps even higher. As the central Asian nation declared a state of emergency, the Kazakh President asked military forces to 'shoot-to-kill' the perpetrators.

A police bus, which was burned after clashes, remains in an empty street in Almaty, Kazakhstan. [Credit: AP]

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leave an airport of Almaty, Kazakhstan. [Credit: AP]

'Zone of controlled chaos' was created: Kazakh leader

Kazakhstan President Tokayev blamed the “foreign terrorists” for creating a "zone of controlled chaos” in his country. "I have no doubt that it was a terror attack," Tokayev told European Council President Charles Michel as the two held a telephonic dialogue on Tuesday, his office said in a statement. He further informed that Kazakhstan sustained the damages worth  $2-3 billion as per the preliminary estimates, stressing that the violence and attack on his country were in fact  "well organized.”  

Russia-led military alliance deployed to control the unrest is now pulling out troops two days after the mission, as per Associated Press. Collective Security Treaty Organization is a military alliance of six former Soviet states and it sent military forces to largely quell the unrest in Kazakhstan after the leader requested help. 

A military truck, which was burned during clashes, is seen on a street in Almaty, Kazakhstan. [Credit: AP]

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leave an airport of Almaty, Kazakhstan. [Credit: AP]

“When this decision was being made, we could have completely lost control over Almaty, which was being torn apart by terrorists. Had we lost Almaty, we would have lost the capital and the entire country,” Tokayev told Kazakhstan’s parliament in a briefing. 

Kazakh leader also appointed a new prime minister, Alikhan Smailov, after he dissolved the cabinet last week. He introduced the  180-day cap on fuel prices and stripped the authority off Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s former longtime autocratic leader. Tokayev’s office said in a statement that over 338 criminal probes were launched to investigate the unrest and assaults on law enforcement and security officers.