ALMATY: Gory violence erupted once again in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city on Thursday as Russia sent its paratroopers to quell an uprising in one of Moscow’s closest former Soviet allies.
Police have killed dozens of protesters in Almaty to discourage violence. At least 18 members of the security forces have lost their lives, including two found decapitated while over 2,000 protesters have been arrested.
Burned-out vehicles littered Almaty’s streets, several government buildings were in ruins and bullet casings were strewn over the grounds of the presidential residence, which was stormed and looted by protesters on Wednesday.
“I didn’t know our people could be so terrifying,” Samal, a 29-year-old nursery-school teacher, told international media.
Eye-witnesses said the military personnel have regained control of the main airport, which was seized by protesters. Thursday evening saw renewed battles in Almaty’s main square, occupied alternately by troops and hundreds of protesters.
The Russian deployment was a gamble by the Kremlin that rapid military force could secure its interests in the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation.
According to media reports noted explosions and gunfire as military vehicles and dozens of soldiers advanced in Almaty, although the shooting stopped again after nightfall.
Security forces had cleared demonstrators from the central square and other key government buildings, but incidents of clashes and gunfire were reported in other parts of the city.
Meanwhile, throughout the country the internet service was suspended, making it impossible to gauge the extent of the unrest. Nonetheless, the violence was unprecedented in a state ruled firmly since Soviet times by leader Nursultan Nazarbayev.
