Kazakhstan: Russia-led alliance’s troops prepare to pull out

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian Defense Ministry says troops that are part of a Russia-led security alliance are preparing to pull out of Kazakhstan. The withdrawal announced on Thursday comes only a week after they were deployed to the ex-Soviet nation on the request of its president, who was seeking to quell violent mass protests. The demonstrations started on Jan. 2 in western Kazakhstan, triggered by a sharp rise of fuel prices, and quickly spread nationwide, descending into violence. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has blamed the unrest on foreign-backed “terrorists” and requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states. On Tuesday, Tokayev declared their mission accomplished.