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Kazakh forces kill 26 in operation to end protests

Kazakh forces kill 26 in operation to end protests

Kazakh forces have killed 26 people in an “anti-terror” operation carried out mainly in the city of Almaty to end violent protests that have rocked the Central Asian country, authorities said. EFE / Kulpash Konyrova

Nur-Sultan, January 7 (EFE). – Kazakh forces have killed 26 people in the “anti-terror” operation they are carrying out mainly in the city of Almaty to end violent protests rocking the Central Asian country, according to the authorities. mentioned.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 3,000 “criminals” were arrested and 18 “militants” were wounded.
The authorities earlier acknowledged the deaths of at least 18 law enforcement officers, two of whom were found beheaded, always according to the official version.
Kazakh President, Kassym Yumart Tokayev, describes the protesters who took to the streets of the country as terrorists, initially due to the rise in liquefied gas prices, and confirms that the protests are being managed by a group of instigators, although he did not reveal his identity.
In the face of the “terrorist threat” he sought help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a six-state military bloc in the post-Soviet region led by Russia, part of whose peacekeeping forces have already arrived in the United States. In order to “stabilize the situation”.
“This battalion arrived for a limited period to protect strategic objectives,” Tokayev said today at a meeting at the Anti-Terrorism Headquarters, without revealing the number of foreign forces that will support the Kazakh operation, although it is estimated that it will be over there. be more than 3000.
He stressed that the constitutional order “has been basically restored in all regions of the country and the local authorities are in control of the situation.”
Of course, he added, “the actions against terrorism will continue until the complete destruction of the militants” of the terrorists.
As reported on its Telegram account by the Kazakh portal Tengrinews.kz, the “red” level of the terrorist threat has been introduced throughout the country, which gives special forces a wide margin of maneuver in their operations and allows them to temporarily restrict citizen movement.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, there are 70 checkpoints across the country.
The president plans to address the population on Friday, Orthodox Christmas Day, in a televised address.

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