The authorities of Kazakhstan have arrested Karim Massimov, the former head of the country's national security committee, and other officials suspected of treason, the country's national security committee said, without elaborating further, the country's national security committee said.
Security forces appeared yesterday, Friday, to have managed to take control of the streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and economic capital, after days of unrest, and earlier the country's Russian-backed president, Kasim-Yomart Tokayev, had announced that he had ordered security forces to open fire without warning against rioters.
"I have instructed law enforcement authorities and the army to shoot to kill without warning," he announced in an emergency address on Friday morning against the backdrop of protests over rising fuel prices that turned into anti-government rallies.
At the same time, he ruled out any negotiations with the "terrorists". "It is nonsense. What kind of talks can one have with criminals and murderers?" he asked.
Kazakhstan faces "armed and well-trained militants, local and foreign," Tokayev said. Describing them as "terrorists," he argued that they should be "eliminated."
The authoritarian leader also made it clear that peacekeepers sent by Russia and neighboring states arrived at his request and are in the country temporarily to ensure security. He even sent "special thanks" to Russian President Vladimir Putin for sending troops.
They arrest anyone who moves
The airport in the city of Almaty remains closed and is guarded by soldiers and police officers, who are arresting anyone who looks suspicious, according to a correspondent for the Russian news agency Tass.
Traffic around the airport is heavy, but police are stopping and checking all vehicles. The reporter said he saw four "suspects" being arrested and taken to a minibus with their hands tied around their necks.
The airport will remain closed until January 9. More than 20 international flights, from Almaty and the city of Actobé, have been cancelled, according to the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development. However, state television Khabar-24 reported that the airport in the capital Nur-Sultan is operating and all domestic flights are running normally.
Meanwhile, from Moscow, a Defense Ministry official reported that twelve Il-76 and An-124 transport aircraft carrying equipment and soldiers of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) peacekeeping force left Russia for air bases in Almaty and Zetingen.
Immediately after their arrival, the Russian force units will "begin to carry out the tasks assigned to them," the agency added, citing the same unnamed official.
Πηγή: in.gr
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