ALMATY, Jan 7 Reuters -- Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday he had given shoot-to- kill orders to deal with further disturbances from those he called bandits and terrorists, adding that those who didn't surrender would be destroyed. In a televised address, Tokayev said up to 20,000 bandits had attacked the biggest city of Almaty and had been destroying state property after a week when protests over fuel prices exploded into a countrywide wave of unrest.
He said as part of the counter-terrorist operation he had ordered law enforcement agencies and the army to shoot and kill without warning. The militants have not laid down their arms, but they continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them. The fight against them must be pursued to the end. Whoever does not surrender will be destroyed, Tokayev said on state television.
He dismissed calls to hold talks with protesters.
What kind of talks can we have with criminals and murderers? He said something.
We had to deal with armed and well-prepared bandits, local as well as foreign. More precisely, with terrorists. We have to destroy them, this will happen soon, and Tokayev thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of China, Uzbekistan and Turkey for their assistance.
He said peacekeeping forces from Russia and neighbouring countries had arrived on Kazakhstan's request and were in the country on a temporary basis to ensure security.
It was critical to understand why the state had slept through the preparation of terrorist attacks, as well as the preparation of terrorist attacks, according to militant sleeper cells Tokayev.