In a defiant public address Friday, Tokayev claimed the unrest, which began earlier this week as protests against rising fuel prices, had been masterminded by well-trained "terrorist bandits" from both inside and outside the country.
Kazakh state media reported Friday 18 security personnel and 26 "armed criminals" had been killed in violent protests. More than 3,800 people have been detained so far, Kazakh state media reported Friday, citing the country's Internal Affairs Ministry. More than 100 people were arrested while carrying out "terrorist actions," the state media added.
In Almaty, the country's largest city, several dead bodies riddled with bullets lay in the streets and the air was repeatedly filled with gunfire, according to a journalist in the area.
