Kazakh President Qasim-Yomart Tokayev today rejected any talks with protesters and ordered security forces to open fire without warning on “armed gangs” who are causing unrest.
“I have instructed the security forces and the army to open fire without warning,” Tokayev said in a televised address, adding that “terrorists continue to cause damage to property” and “use weapons against civilians.”
Tokayev called “irrational” the demands, mainly from abroad, for negotiations with the protesters to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“What kind of negotiations can one have with criminals, with murderers? We are dealing with armed and trained gangs (…) They must be destroyed and this will be done soon,” he noted.
According to the president, “20,000 gang members” attacked Almaty, the largest city and financial capital of Kazakhstan, where the riots that broke out were the most chaotic and violent.
They had a “clear plan of attack, well-coordinated actions and a high degree of preparation for battle,” Tokayev continued, referring to “specialized saboteurs.”
“The free media and some people abroad are playing the role of instigator of this crisis,” he said.
“The counter-terrorism operation continues, the fighters have not laid down their arms. Those who do not surrender will be eliminated,” he said, noting that “there is still a lot of work to be done to learn from this tragedy.”
Kazakhstan, the largest country in Central Asia, has been rocked by a wave of protests in the province on Sunday following rising fuel prices before spreading to other cities, most notably Almaty, where protests erupted in chaos and deadly riots.
A contingent of forces from Russia and other allied countries of Moscow arrived in Kazakhstan on Thursday to support the country’s authorities, protecting strategically important buildings and offering support to law enforcement forces.
Tokayev today wanted to “especially thank” Russian President Vladimir Putin for sending this military force. “He responded very quickly, and mostly in a friendly way, to my request,” he said.
In addition to Putin, the Kazakh president also thanked the leaders of China, Uzbekistan and Turkey for their help.
He added that peacekeepers sent by Russia and neighboring countries had arrived in Kazakhstan at the request of the country and were on a temporary basis to ensure security.
It is very important to understand why the state “slept while preparing underground terrorist attacks, secret nuclei of fighters,” Tokayev concluded.
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