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Constitutional Order Mostly Restored in All Regions of Kazakhstan, President Says

Sputnik News

20220107

Over 3,000 people have been detained in Kazakhstan in connection with riots, 26 armed rioters have been killed and 18 injured in clashes with the security forces, the state-run broadcaster Khabar 24 reported on Friday, citing a source in the Interior Ministry.

Constitutional order has been mostly restored in all regions of Kazakhstan, regional authorities are controlling the situation, President Tokayev said on Friday morning.

The Kazakh leader also said that terrorists are using weapons, inflicting damage on people's property, adding that counterterrorist operations are needed until gunmen's full extermination.

Gunshots were heard again in Kazakhstan's Almaty in the early morning of Friday, a Sputnik correspondent shared, adding that the barricades have been dismantled and there are no police or protesters on the streets.

According to the Khabar 24 broadcaster, the airport of Almaty will be closed until the Friday afternoon.

Earlier on Thursday, sounds of shooting and loud explosions were reported in central Almaty. The Vlast newspaper said that witnesses report occasional shots fired in several city districts, while the newspaper's correspondent said loud explosions and shooting were heard in the vicinity of one of the oldest streets in Almaty.

Meanwhile, in Aktau, riots have also continued following earlier reports that demonstrators began dismantling tents and preparing to leave the main square after four days of peaceful rallies, according to Kazakh media.

Mass protests in Kazakhstan began in the early days of 2022. Residents of Zhanaozen and Aktau opposed a two-fold increase in prices for liquefied petroleum gas, then protests spread to other cities, resulting in violent clashes with the police, looting and vandalism. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency until January 19 and invited the CSTO peacekeeping forces to help bring the situation under control.

© Sputnik