Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Eight Die, Dozens Wounded in Southern Kazakhstan Clashes

Eight Die, Dozens Wounded in Southern Kazakhstan Clashes

NUR SULTAN - A brawl and a series of clashes in several villages in Kazakhstan's southern Zhambyl province have left eight people dead, officials said.
Interior Minister Yerlan Turgumbayev said on Saturday several dozen people were injured in the clashes on Friday in the Jambyl region, about three hours drive from Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty and close to the border with Kyrgyzstan.
The crowd clashed with police, wounding two officers with gunshots, and torched dozens of buildings and cars. Police have detained 47 people and confiscated two shotguns.
Police and the National Guard now have the situation under control, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a statement, ordering the government to take steps to maintain calm in the villages.
Tokayev said the fighting occurred in a number of settlements in the Kordai district of Jambyl region.
Footage posted to social media late on Friday night showed scenes of young men, some armed with clubs, marching along a village road with buildings ablaze either side.
Kazakhstan's leadership prides itself on guaranteeing inter-ethnic harmony in a country where the foreign ministry says "over 100 ethnic groups are living in peace". (Aljazeera)