Kazakhstan Unrest Leaves 216 National Guard Troops Injured, 50 Pieces Of Equipment Damaged

Kazakhstan Unrest Leaves 216 National Guard Troops Injured, 50 Pieces of Equipment Damaged

Kazakhstan's National Guard force said on Friday that 216 troops had been injured and hospitalized while responding to unrest that erupted across the country in the past days

NUR-SULTAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th January, 2022) Kazakhstan's National Guard force said on Friday that 216 troops had been injured and hospitalized while responding to unrest that erupted across the country in the past days.

"During an operation to restore order in several regional capitals and the cities of Almaty and Shymkent, 216 National Guard troops were injured," the Guard force said in a statement.

Two troops were killed in clashes with the mob in the country's south. Two contractors received gunshot wounds and five draft soldiers were taken to the intensive care unit.

Some 50 pieces of military equipment used by the force were damaged, eight of them irreparably, the force said. The National Guard regained control over crucial infrastructure assets in the capital of Nur-Sultan.

Mass protests against a hike in gas prices broke out across the Central Asian country in the first days of January, leading to clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police in the capital of Almaty. The government introduced an internet blackout and a state of emergency.