Constitutional order largely restored in Kazakhstan: Prez

Nur-Sultan, Jan 7 (IANS) Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that constitutional order has been largely restored in all regions of the country amid the ongoing unrest."The counter-terrorist operation has kicked off. The law enforcement forces are working hard. The constitutional order has been mainly restored in all regions," Tokayev said during a meeting with the leadership of the Presidential Administration, the Security Council, and law enforcement agencies."Local authorities are monitoring the situation, but terrorists are still using weapons, causing damage to civilian property. Therefore, the counter-terrorist operation will continue until the total destruction of the militants," Xinhua news agency quoted the President as saying.Tokayev has issued a number of orders to further stabilise the situation in the country, the presidential press service said.Violent protests in Kazakhstan, particularly in the country's largest city of Almaty, have caused multiple deaths over the past days, according to various reports.Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Wednesday, and has sought help from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).A joint CSTO peacekeeping force has arrived in Kazakhstan to take part in maintaining order, the presidential press service said on Friday, adding that they came only for a limited time to ensure the protection of strategic facilities.The peacekeeping forces include troops from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the CSTO said in a statement on its website.
--IANS ksk/

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