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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Kazakh President Blames Attacks on Radical Islamists |
| 2016-06-11 |
| [An Nahar] Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ...has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's independence in 1991. Contrary to commonly held belief, there is a difference between Kazakhs and Cossacks: Kazakhs have mustaches. Or maybe it's the other way around... on Friday blamed radical Islamists for deadly shootings that left seven dead in the west of the oil-rich Central Asian state. Seven people -- four civilians and three soldiers -- were killed after gunnies went on the rampage at gun shops and a military base in the city of Aktobe near the Russian border on Sunday. "We already know that it was a terrorist attack by a group of followers of the non-traditional religious movement Salafism," Nazarbayev said in a televised meeting with the country's security council, referring to an ultra-conservative brand of Islam. "While granting freedom of worship in the country, we also intend to deal a decisive blow to all those who, hiding behind religious slogans, upset the situation in the country." Nazarbayev's comments came hours after security forces killed five more people suspected of perpetrating Sunday's attacks. In total government troops claim to have killed 18 suspected attackers. Nazarbayev said "a few" of them were still in hiding and has vowed that all attackers would be strictly punished. Police in Aktobe said Friday that they were still searching for three suspects. Authorities had initially said that six people were killed in Sunday's attacks but later updated the casualty toll to seven after another civilian succumbed to injuries in the hospital. |
| Posted by:Fred |