Unclear why Kazakhstan needs CSTO's help to deal with crisis: Blinken
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Blinken asserts that his country has questions about the deployment of CSTO peacekeepers.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels, Belgium 24 March 2021 (Anadolu Agency)
On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was unclear why Kazakhstan had requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) amid the country's instability when it already had the resources to cope with the situation.
Blinken stated that "It would seem to me that the Kazakh authorities and the government certainly have the capacity to deal appropriately with protests and to do so in a way that respects the rights of protesters while maintaining law and order."
He continues, "So it's not clear why they feel the need for any outside assistance, so we're trying to learn more about it."
The US urged the CSTO to assist in "peaceful resolution of the crisis," calling on the peacekeeping forces and Kazakhstan law enforcement "to adhere to international human rights standards," according to Blinken.
Blinken said that if the order is restored, getting the Russian military "out of the nation will be tough."
According to the Secretary of State, the US has "questions about the deployment of CSTO peacekeepers to Kazakhstan and is learning more about it."
Almaty faced 6 waves of attacks: Kazakh President
In a different context, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev claimed that militants who did not speak Kazakh were among those who had conducted several attacks on Almaty in recent days.
Tokayev added that the assailants, whom he referred to as "terrorists and bandits," were well-trained and well-organized, and most likely got orders from a special center.
Here's what you need to know
Kazakhstan on Friday imposed a countrywide "critical red" level of the terrorist threat, local news outlets reported, meaning the government sees that the terrorism threat is severe in the country.
The severity of the threat means the government is fully mobilizing all its forces and special forces, who, in turn, will be able to search civilians and vehicles at will, in addition to restricting and directing their movement and accessing information transmitted via various telecommunication channels.
