Three Police, Civilian Killed in Kazakhstan’s Almaty by Suspected Islamist Militants

Kazakh policemen escort a detained suspect in armed attack of police station in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 18 July 2016. Four people including three policemen and one civilian were killed during the gun attack. Photo EPA/BGNES

At least three police officers and a civilian were killed in attacks by suspected Islamist militants in Kazakhstan's financial capital Almaty, Reuters reported on Monday.

The newswire attributed its information to sources from Kazakhstan's security forces and witnesses. One security source has told Reuters the authorities believed Islamist militants were behind the attacks.

A district police station and an office of the KNB state security service were targeted by the attackers.

One of the suspected attackers was wounded and detained after a shootout with police on a central street, another one was still at large, Reuters said.

The authorities have declared a terror alert in Almaty and told people to stay at home during the anti-terrorism operation. Under the alert, police is allowed to restrict the movement of vehicles and to search properties, Bloomberg quoted the country’s Interior Ministry as saying in a statement.

The attack comes a month after a deadly assault in the town of Aktobe, in northwestern Kazakhstan, which the authorities blamed on Islamist extremists. In that incident, seven people were killed after attackers targeted gun stores and a military base.

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