www.zerohedge.com By Tyler Durden
On Monday Kazakhstan’s largest city appears to be returning to some semblance of normalcy with government security forces having the streets firmly under control, following a week of deadly protests sparked by a fuel price hike but which quickly targeted the country’s rulers. At least 3,000 Russian peacekeeping forces are also on the ground, after President Tokayev had dubbed his crackdown operation as ‘counter-terrorism’. Elsewhere, anti-government protests are entering their second week.
Internet access has now returned to parts of the country, including Almaty, as the mainstay of the riots appear to have been quelled. The Washington Post describes on Monday: “For days, the streets of Kazakhstanâs largest city smelled of burned rubber tinged with the acrid stench of stun grenades. Inside their homes, people huddled, fed by rumors in an unnerving information vacuum from a cut Internet and limited mobile phone service â all accompanied by the steady pop of overnight gunfire.”
As of Sunday CNN reported at least 164 dead following the week of unrest, and the latest figures say almost 8,000 have been arrested by Kazakh security forces. The Interior Ministry on Sunday said that 16 police and national guard had been killed, with some 1,300 security officers injured in the violent protests.
