In the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan (in the western part of the country) a special operation against extremists responsible for killing several policemen was completed. Radio Azattyk (a regional service of Radio Svoboda) broadcast the report from Interior Ministry spokesman Almat Imangaliyev.

The criminals were located and surrounded in Kenkiyak, a village near Shubarshi, where in early June several police officers were shot and killed. In the ensuing firefight a special operations commando was killed and a police officer wounded.

The house where the criminals were hiding was stormed on July 9th. As a result, nine of the resisting extremists were killed; among them were six who were on the most-wanted list for murdering police officers.

According to Deputy Interior Minister Marat Demeuov, as quoted by the news agency Novosti-Kazakhstan, two other members of the gang were later arrested at another location.

Radio Azattyk quoted eyewitnesses to the battle with extremists who said that security forces used rocket launchers and armored personnel carriers. They also stated that gas to the village was shut off, out of safety concerns.

As previously reported, on the night of July 1st, two police officers were shot dead in Shubarshi in the Aktobe region. The press release at the time put forward the theory that religious extremists may be involved in the murders. It was also thought that the crimes might be related to oil smuggling. Authorities put six suspects on the most-wanted list, offering a reward of 100 thousand US dollars for help in locating them, and organized a large-scale special operation in the area. Special units were used, as well as Interior Ministry soldiers, helicopters, and armored vehicles.

On July 2nd, security forces and criminals clashed, resulting in the death of one security service commando and three others being wounded.

After the elimination of the criminals, the regional department of the Interior Ministry, according to Bnews, stated that the group “used the cover of religious ideas to steal oil from the pipeline, as well as committing other avariciousness and violent crimes.”

Meanwhile, the newspaper Respublika, quoting one of its readers who claimed to have learned of the events from friends and relatives in Shubarshi, published a theory that the police provoked the conflict. The source said that representatives of the local religious community took up arms against security forces after police detained a local resident for two days and beat him up at the precinct (the source claims that the victim is the brother of one of those who was later suspected of murdering police officers).

In Lenta.ru
http://lenta.ru/news/2011/07/11/end/

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