Kazakhstan unrest: CSTO sends peacekeeping force to stabilise violent situation in country

As the protest intensified in Kazakhstan, Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), on Thursday, has sent peacekeeping forces to control the riot in the country. According to a report by Sputnik, the CSTO secretariat confirmed the media reports of sending several units of armed forces in the country. "In accordance with the decision made by the CSTO Collective Security Council on 6 January 2022, Collective Peacekeeping Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation were sent to Kazakhstan for a limited period of time to stabilise and normalise the situation", Sputnik quoted CSTO secretariat as saying.

"The main tasks will be guarding important state and military facilities and assist the law enforcement of Kazakhstan in stabilising the situation and returning it to the legal framework," the CSTO secretariat added.

Police officer beheaded in Kazakhstan unrest

Notably, the statement from the CSTO secretariat came as Kazakhstan is experiencing the worst street protests nearly after three decades. While speaking to news channel Khabar-24, police spokeswoman Saltanat Azirbek said there were attempts to storm buildings overnight in Almaty city. According to her, attacks on government buildings lead to the killing of over a dozen police officers. She said one of the police officers was found beheaded. The State news channel Khabar-24 informed a total of 353 law enforcement officers were injured in the deadly clash. Meanwhile, the CSTO secretariat added Russia has sent the delegation of a peacekeeping force by the Russian Aerospace Forces to stabilise the condition that was intensified over a sharp rise in prices for liquefied petroleum gas fuel. On Sunday, the demonstrations began in the country’s west but spread to Almaty and the capital Nur-Sultan within two days.

Notably, the Collective Security Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military union in Eurasia that consists of selected post-Soviet states. The member includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. According to the news agency, Kazakhstan the peacekeeping forces were sent after Kazakhstan requested the heads of the CSTO member states to send the armed forces to control riots in Kazakhstan. "In this regard and relying on the Collective Security Treaty, today I reached out to the heads of the CSTO member states to assist Kazakhstan in overcoming this terrorist threat," Sputnik quoted President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as saying. 

(Image: AP)