Russia sends troops to put down Kazakhstan uprising as fresh violence erupts
(VOVWORLD) - Fresh violence erupted in Kazakhstan's main city of Almaty on Thursday as Russia sent in paratroopers to put down a countrywide uprising there.
 Russian servicemen board a military aircraft heading to Kazakhstan, at an airfield outside Moscow, Russia, on January 6, 2022. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Police in Almaty said they had killed dozens of rioters overnight into the early hours of Thursday morning.
Authorities said at least 18 members of the security forces had died, including two found decapitated. More than 2,000 people were arrested. The violence was unprecedented in the country.
Successor, Kazakh President Kassym-JomartTokayev said he called in the Moscow-led military alliance of ex-Soviet states. He blamed the unrest on foreign-trained terrorists who he said had seized buildings and weapons.
The general secretary of the ex-Soviet alliance - the Collective Security Treaty Organisation - told RIA news agency that the overall peacekeeping force would number about 2,500 and could be strengthened if necessary.