After Arrest Of Kazakh Intelligence Chief, President Tokayev Fires Two Deputy Heads Of National Security Committee

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Kazakhstan's president sacked two top security officials on Sunday, adding to the aftermath of the worst unrest in three decades after independence from the Soviet Union, as authorities say the situation is stable, with Russian-led coalition forces guarding key facilities.

The officials sacked were former deputy intelligence chief Karim Massimov, who was arrested on suspicion of treason after violent protests swept through the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation that borders Russia and China.

Thousands of people have been detained and public buildings burned during mass anti-government protests in the past week. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev issued a shootout order to end the riots he blamed on bandits and terrorists.

Russian and state media reported 164 people were killed in the clashes, citing a state social media post. But health authorities and police did not confirm the figures, and the social media post was later deleted.

Meanwhile, internet services have been restricted and telecommunications are uneven, making it difficult to check figures and confirm statements. Not a single group appeared to speak on behalf of the protesters.

The president's website announced the sacking of Marat Osipov and Daulet Ergozhin as deputy heads of the National Security Committee. However, there was no explanation for the brief statement issued this Sunday evening.

Their arrested former boss, Massimov, a two-time prime minister, is seen to be close to former president Nursultan Nazarbayev. Authorities have not disclosed details of the charges against him. He and his lawyer could not be reached for comment.

In a statement meant to stop talk of a rift, Nazarbayev's spokesman said Nazarbayev had been in the capital Nur-Sultan during the crisis and chose himself to hand over his security council post to Tokayev to help defuse the crisis.

"(He) and the head of state have always been 'on the same side of the barricades. In these difficult days, they have demonstrated the monolithic nature of state power for all of us,' the statement said, calling on the people to gather around Tokayev, citing Reuters 10 January.

As previously reported, the Kazakh authorities said they had managed to control conditions in the country, with strategic facilities now under the protection of alliance forces and thousands of people being detained by police.

Kazakh law enforcement authorities have detained more than 5,000 people who took part in riots in several parts of the country, the press service of the Interior Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Currently, 5,135 people have been detained across Kazakhstan," the press service said, citing TASS.

According to the ministry, 125 pre-trial investigations have been launched into murder, violence against government officials, robbery, hooliganism, and theft.

In an interview with Khabar 24 TV, Kazakh Interior Minister Yerlan Turgumbayev said, during the riots, more than 400 vehicles were damaged and destroyed, including 346 police vehicles. The looters had looted more than 100 large trading facilities and banks.

Kazakh authorities said on Sunday they had stabilized the situation across the country, following the deadliest outbreak of violence in 30 years of independence, with troops from the Russian-led military alliance guarding the strategic facility.

As for security and intelligence officials notifying President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, they are continuing the 'cleansing' actions in a massive counter-terrorism operation.