ASTANA, June 7. /TASS/. The number of extremists killed in an anti-terrorism operation after an attack on several gun shops and an army unit in the northwestern Kazakh city of Aktobe has grown from 12 to 13, an official spokesman for the country’s Interior Ministry told TASS on Tuesday.
- Search for seven extremists underway after attacks in Kazakh city — interior minister
- Almost 40 people wounded in attacks in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe — ministry
- Kremlin sees no need for military build-up in Russia due to situation in Kazakhstan
- Kazakh authorities accuse detained businessman of staging coup — official
"As of today, 13 criminals from the attackers have been killed and four have been injured as a result of offering active armed resistance and seven are on a wanted list," Almas Sadubayev said, stressing that all measures are underway to locate the other criminals.
Eight other suspects in the attacks have been detained.
The country’s troops have been put on alert. The night in Aktobe was calm and the situation in the city and in the republic is stable and remains under control, Sadubayev said.
The republic’s Interior Ministry said on June 5 a group of "followers of radical, nontraditional religious movements" attacked gun shops and an army unit of the National Guard in Aktobe, a city located 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Russia’s border. Six people were killed in the attack, including three troops. Thirty eight people were wounded, the health ministry said.
A counter-terrorism operation has been introduced in the Aktobe region and a moderate "yellow" terrorist alert has been declared for at least 40 days. The situation in the city is under personal control of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.