Tokayev spoke about a terrorist “pack of hyenas” moving from three directions
The online summit of the heads of CSTO member states began today with a minute of silence in memory of those killed during the terrorist attack on Kazakhstan.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev began his speech with personal thanks to the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who chairs the CSTO (on his behalf, the decisions to send peacekeepers to Kazakhstan were voiced) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then he thanked all the leaders of the organization’s member countries, starting with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, “for their political and even military brotherhood.”
“In fact, this is the first time that the peacekeeping potential of the CSTO was actually used to ensure the security, stability and integrity of one of the member states. Not only military, but above all, moral support from our CSTO partners is important for us,” Tokayev said.
He believes that all the events in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year were links in one chain and were “subordinated to a single destructive plan, the preparation of which took a long time, how long, the investigation will show.”
“Under the screen of spontaneous protests, a wave of mass unrest unfolded. As if on a single command, religious radicals, criminal elements, notorious bandits, looters and petty hooligans appeared. Socio-economic and socio-political demands faded into the background and were forgotten about. The hot phase unfolded and groups of armed militants who were waiting in the wings entered into action. The main goal became obvious - undermining the constitutional order, destroying governance institutions, and seizing power. We are talking about an attempted coup,” Tokayev said.
He called the synchronized attack on strategic social infrastructure facilities in 11 regions of Kazakhstan proof of the existence of a unified plan among the rebels.
“Airports were seized, roads and railways were blocked, the work of ambulances and firefighters was blocked. During the attack on military units and army checkpoints, gangsters tried to seize weapons and military equipment. There were real battles in Almaty and other cities. For example, the battle around the Department of Internal Affairs in Almaty lasted two nights. The police fought off terrorist attacks. In Almaty alone, seven weapons stores were seized.
These were attacks by well-trained professionals, including snipers with special rifles. The terrorists used their own connections, dressed in the uniforms of military personnel and law enforcement agencies, and cynically covered themselves with participants in mass riots as a human shield,” Tokayev said.
According to him, the terrorists had a five-fold numerical advantage. As a result of their aggression, 16 law enforcement officers were killed and 1300 were injured. Civilian casualties are still being determined.
“I speak with confidence about the direct participation of terrorists, including foreign fighters, in the aggression against Kazakhstan. An attempt to form a zone of chaos on the territory of the country with the subsequent seizure of power,” Tokayev said.
He considers proof of this to be the fact that terrorists took the corpses of their fighters from the battlefield and even seized morgues to steal the bodies. Currently, 8 thousand terrorists have been detained, 116 weapons have been seized from them.
The President of Kazakhstan called for developing the peacekeeping potential of the CSTO and seeking its recognition in the UN and OSCE.
“We already see that questions are arising about the legitimacy of the entry of CSTO forces. This happens due to a lack of reliable information and a lack of understanding of the entire situation. In some cases, in the international community, including the international media, there is a completely incorrect interpretation of both the use of CSTO forces and the reading of the situation in Kazakhstan. Despite the facts provided, some sources claim that the authorities in Kazakhstan are fighting peaceful demonstrators. This is complete misinformation. We have never used and will not use armed force against peaceful protesters. Knowing this, the organizers of the attack on Kazakhstan launched several waves of aggression,” Tokayev said.
According to him, the terrorists were moving from three directions, “like a huge pack of hyenas.”
Tokayev promised to provide the international community with evidence of the terrorist attack to prevent the spread of false information.
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