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Kazakhstan president calls Almaty skirmish terrorist attack

ASTANA, July 18. /TASS/. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has described the gunfight that occurred in Almaty earlier on Monday a terrorist attack, the president’s press service reports.

"A terrorist attacked occurred in Almaty today, which, unfortunately, once again led to loss of life. I offer condolences to relatives and friends of those killed and wounded. They should be given appropriate psychological and financial assistance," the press service quotes Nazarbayev as saying. He was speaking at a meeting of Kazakhstan’s National Security Council.

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The president also ordered "to take all necessary steps in terms of ensuring law and order in the city." The interior minister was instructed to travel to the site and take steps to stabilize the situation in the city together with the Almaty mayor.

"It is necessary to protect the places of citizens’ mass gatherings, take urgent steps to provide medical assistance to the wounded, conduct a prompt investigation to establish the criminals’ identities," the head of state said.

Nazarbayev added that it is necessary to inform the city’s population and ensure public order. "It is important to thwart rumors and identify provocateurs. Citizens in Almaty and across the country must be confident that the most decisive measures to restore order are taken," he said.

Earlier on Monday, unknown persons attacked the building of a district police department in Almaty and a department of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee. A red terror alert was declared in the city, security forces carry out an operation to detain the individuals involved in these attacks.

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