Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that the militants planned to attack the capital of Kazakhstan during the recent unrest and that the large-scale counter-terrorist operation will be completed in the near future.
In a speech at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summit meeting, Tokayev said it was a terrorist war against Kazakhstan and Almaty and nine regions of the country were in the hands of criminals.
Tokayev said they saw a gathering of militants around the presidential residence and the attacks simultaneously covered 11 regions.
About 8,000 people have been arrested by the police, 116 weapons have been seized, he said.
Tokayev said all the events since the beginning of this year are linked, "they fall under a single destructive plan, the preparation of which went on for a long time".
"The organizers used the discontent of the population due to the rise in gas prices as a pretext," he said at the virtual summit held on Monday.
Tokayev said preparations "for the events that took place in early January have been ongoing for a long time".
"The attacks simultaneously covered 11 regions, but the main hit fell on Almaty. If the city fell to the perpetrators, it would have led to the capture of the entire south of Kazakhstan, and then the whole country. The militants planned to attack the capital of Kazakhstan," he said
The Kazakhstan president said that the number of civilian deaths as a result of the unrest in country is still being calculated.
"Almaty and nine regions of the country were in the hands of criminals. We saw a gathering of militants around the presidential residence, it was a terrorist war against Kazakhstan" he said.
"What took place will be remembered as the 'Almaty tragedy,'" he added.
He said there are 2,030 peacekeepers and 250 pieces of equipment that form part of the CSTO peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan;
"We will fully defend the rights of Kazakhstan's citizens to peacefully express their will. The large-scale counter-terrorist operation will be completed in the near future. About 8,000 people have been arrested by the police, 116 weapons have been seized."
The Kazakhstan president said peacekeepers made 180 flights to Kazakhstan.
The situation in Kazakhstan is reported to be stabalising after recent unrest. A state of emergency had been declared in the country due eruption of violence during the protests.
( With inputs from ANI )
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