More than 160 people died in the violent unrest in Kazakhstan and its president called the protests and attempted coup d’etat on Monday. Russia also claimed victory in defending its neighbor during the attempted coup. The president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said order had been restored in an online meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
More than a dozen security forces and many citizens were killed last week during the unrest caused by fuel prices. Nearly 8,000 people were arrested. The CSTO sent troops to Kazakhstan during the unrest at the president’s request. These troops in addition to its own were utilized in a large-scale counterterrorism operation during the unrest that numbered 2,030 troops and 250 pieces of military equipment. The Kazakh president said the counterterrorism operation would come to an end soon. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military alliance prevented terrorists, criminals, looters and criminal elements from undermining the government in Kazakhstan. Putin stated Russia’s troops would be removed once the mission was complete.
Read more: Kazakh leader declares ‘coup d’etat’ over as Putin claims victory
