Military clashes in Kazakhstan

On 5 June 2016, a series of clashes broke out in Aktobe, the administrative centre of Aktobe Region in northern Kazakhstan. Gun shops and a local army unit were the targets of the attacks. Nineteen people were killed in the clashes, including thirteen of the attackers. An anti-terrorist operation has been announced in Aktobe city and region, and a manhunt is underway. According to the official version, the attacks were launched by local Islamic radicals. The Aktobe attacks were overshadowed by information published on 6 June 2016 by the National Security Committee that Tokhtar Tuleshov, a businessman allegedly linked to the Russian secret services (who was detained in January 2016), had planned a coup and had reportedly financed the protests against the reform of the Land Code. A number of former senior officials and military officers suspected of collaborating with Tuleshov were arrested on 4–5 June 2016. The clashes in Aktobe had been widely publicised by the Russian media, suggesting that the situation in Kazakhstan posed a threat to Russia’s security.

ESO: Background information: Website: Kazakhstan http://www.europeansources.info/record/website-kazakhstan/

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