Kazakhstan unrest: Russian troops fly in as crackdown continues

MOSCOW, 07 January 2022, (TON): A Russian-led force has arrived in Kazakhstan at the request of the country's authoritarian president, amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests.

Machine gun fire reverberated through the largest city Almaty after days of unrest sparked by a fuel price hike.

Officials have reported deaths of police and protesters.

The president has blamed foreign-trained terrorists, without giving evidence.

In an address on state TV, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appealed to the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) for support in quelling the protests.

The bloc includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Tajikistan and Armenia.

The Russian news agency reports “the overseas force being sent to Kazakhstan reportedly numbers about 2,500 soldiers. The CSTO says the troops are a peacekeeping force and will protect state and military installations. They will stay in the country for several days or weeks.”

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