Kazakh leader orders use of lethal force in any further demonstrations

The President of Kazakhstan said Friday he authorized law enforcement to open fire on "terrorists" and shoot to kill, a move that comes after days of extremely violent protests in the former Soviet nation.

In a televised address to the nation, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed the unrest on "terrorists" and "militants" and said that he had authorized the use of lethal force against them.

"I have given the order to law enforcement and the army to shoot to kill without warning," Tokayev said. "Those who don't surrender will be eliminated."

He also blasted calls for talks with the protesters made by some other countries as "nonsense." "What negotiations can be held with criminals, murderers?" Tokayev said.

The interior ministry said 26 "armed criminals" had been "liquidated," while 18 police and members of the national guard had been killed, figures that appeared not to have been updated since Thursday. State television reported more than 3,700 arrests.

Kazakhstan is experiencing the worst street protests since the country gained independence three decades ago. The demonstrations began over a near-doubling of prices for a type of vehicle fuel and quickly spread across the country, reflecting wider discontent over the rule of the same party since independence, and the autocrat who hand-picked Tokayev to succeed him, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev turned over the presidency to Tokayev three years ago, after ruling since 1991, but his family is widely believed to have retained influence in Nur-Sultan, the purpose-built capital that bears his name.

Protests have turned extremely violent, with government buildings set ablaze and scores of protesters and more than a dozen law enforcement officers killed. Internet across the country has been shut down, and two airports closed, including one in Almaty, the country's largest city.

In a state where scant political opposition is tolerated, no high-profile leaders of the protest movement have emerged to issue any formal demands.

In a concession, the government on Thursday announced a 180-day price cap on vehicle fuel and a moratorium on utility rate increases. Tokayev has vacillated between trying to mollify the protesters, including accepting the resignation of his government, and promising harsh measures to quell the unrest, which he blamed on "terrorist bands."

In what was seen as one such measure, the president has called on a Russia-led military alliance for help. The alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), includes the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and has started deploying troops to Kazakhstan for a peacekeeping mission.

Kazakh media cited foreign ministry officials as saying that a total of 2,500 troops from CSTO nations have arrived in Kazakhstan, and all of them were deployed to Almaty.

Kazakh officials have insisted that the troops will not be fighting the demonstrators, and instead will take on guarding government institutions.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow was "doing as allies should."