Shoot to kill, Kazakh troops are ordered
No warning to protesters
THE president of Kazakhstan yesterday ordered security forces to ‘shoot to kill without warning’ in an escalation of measures to end the uprising in the country.
In a hardline address to the nation, KassymJomart Tokayev described demonstrators as ‘armed bandits’ and ‘terrorists’.
He also gave ‘special thanks’ to Russian president Vladimir Putin after a Moscowled military alliance sent troops to crack down on riots which have left dozens of protesters and security personnel dead.
Mr Tokayev claimed the unprecedented protests, which began on New Year’s Day over a rise in fuel costs but have evolved into a fullblown uprising against the regime, had been largely crushed by last night. His order for forces to use lethal tactics triggered alarm among Western leaders.
In his third televised address this week, Mr Tokayev claimed: ‘Terrorists continue to damage property... and use weapons against civilians. I have given the order to law enforcement to shoot to kill without warning.’
He ridiculed calls from abroad for negotiations as ‘nonsense’, adding: ‘We are dealing with armed and trained bandits, both local and foreign. So they must be destroyed.’
Russia’s defence ministry said yesterday that nine planes carrying paratroopers and hardware had landed in the capital Almaty, and Russian forces had helped to secure the airport.
Security forces have killed dozens of protesters in the worst street protests since Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union three decades ago. At least 1,000 people are thought to have been injured and thousands more have been detained.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said she was following the developments with ‘great worry’, while French president Emmanuel Macron called for deescalation.
Chinese president Xi Jinping praised Mr Tokayev for having ‘decisively taken strong measures at critical moments and quickly calming the situation’.
On Thursday, Boris Johnson urged for a ‘peaceful resolution’.