Kazakhstan: ‘Bigger than one person’

Kazakhstan: ‘Bigger than one person’:

"Early one Sunday morning in June, a group of young men seized rifles from two gun shops in Aktobe, a city in the steppe of north-western Kazakhstan, and began a series of deadly attacks that would shake the country. Over the next few days, they hijacked a bus, assaulted an army unit, seized hostages and engaged in shoot-outs with police that left 25 dead.

The outbreak of homegrown terrorism jolted this central Asian nation of more than 120 ethnic groups, known for its relative tolerance. For the Kazakh government, concerns about security joined a growing list of political, economic and social threats that could undo one of the most impressive success stories in the former Soviet states.

“We are alarmed about the risk of Islamic radicalism,” says Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, chairman of the senate in the capital Astana. “[The attacks] were a wake-up call for us.”"



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