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| {{terrorism}}'''Counter-terrorism in Kazakhstan''' plays an increasingly important role in ]'s relations with the ] and the ],<ref name=USGLED> Center for Defense Information</ref> which are at an all time high.<ref name=GOODRELATIONS> The White House</ref> Kazakhstan has taken ]'s place as the favored partner in ] for both Russia and the United States in the ].<ref name=FAVORITE> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref><ref name=RUSSIALIKE> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref><ref name=ORDWAY> SignOnSanDiego</ref> No terrorist attack has ever been carried out successfully in Kazakhstan, though Kazakh officials claim to have uncovered and prevented planned attacks.<ref name=THREATS> Uyghur American Association</ref> | |||
| ==Banned terrorist organizations== | |||
| {{main|Terrorism in Kazakhstan}} | |||
| On ] 2006 the Supreme Court approved a revised list of banned terrorist organizations and the Prosecutor General released the list. The terrorist organizations the government has banned are the ], ], ] (which is also known as "Jamoat Mujahedin" and "Community of Holy Warriors"), ], ], ], ], ] (in ]), ] (in ]), ], ], and the ].<ref name=TERRORORG> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> When the Supreme Court initially added the JCMA and six other organizations to its list in March 2006, critics claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood and Lashkar-e-Toiba do not operate in Kazakhstan on a level sufficient to justify inclusion in the list. Saulebek Zhamkenuly, press secretary for the Prosecutor-General's Office, said, "It doesn't mean all these organizations are active in Kazakhstan. The decision to ban them is a preventive measure. These organizations are considered as terrorist in the ], the United States, ], Uzbekistan, and ]."<ref name=HT> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> | |||
| ==Cooperation with China== | |||
| Kazakhstan has consistently extradited Uyghur terrorist suspects to China<ref name=RELTHRET> Jamestown Foundation</ref> and in 2006 participated in a large-scale, joint counter-terrorism drill.<ref name=PIPELINE> Uyghur American Association</ref> | |||
| ===Chinese delegation visit=== | |||
| ] ] led a 150-person delegation to Kazakhstan on ] 2005 after visiting ], Russia for four days. The Chinese Government issued a press release saying the Chinese-Kazakh energy and security "relationship deepens constantly." Upon arriving Hu met with President Nazarbayev in an official ceremony. They discussed anti-terrorism, energy, and transportation.<ref name=HU> Space War</ref> | |||
| ===Tian-Shan-1 2006=== | |||
| The ] and Kazakhstan held an anti-terror drill, known as the "Tian-Shan-1-2006" drill, from ]-] 2006, starting in ], Kazakhstan and ending in ], China through the ]. The drill is the first time China and Kazakhstan have held anti-terrorism maneuvers.<ref name=THREATS/> The Collective Security Treaty Organization held exercises in the ] simultaneously.<ref name=PIPELINE/> | |||
| The simulation lasted for three days and involved Kazakh forces from border patrol, the Interior Ministry, and the Emergency Situations Ministry, and Chinese law enforcement forces and security services. 700 police officials used armed helicopters and anti-riot vehicles to force the 'enemy' into a narrow valley along the border of Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China after rescuing 'hostages'.<ref name=HOSTAGEZ> Global Research Center for Research on Globalization</ref><ref name=DRILL> The Boston Globe</ref> About 100 observers from other SCO nation-members attended the exercises.<ref name=EVIL> Uygur American Association</ref> The first day of exercises began in Almaty and ended in ], a city in ]. When officials of '']'' contacted the Foreign and Defense Ministries of both nations, inquiring about the exercises, Islam Dosmailuly, a spokesman for Kazakhstan's National Security Committee, told them he did not "know if will or not. I'm waiting for information. If gets here, we'll certainly comment on it. But, for now, I have no information." '']'' reported that the policemen practiced freeing hostages.<ref name=THREATS/> | |||
| Some analysts said the simulation practiced securing the ], which sends petroleum from Kazakhstan to refineries in Xinjiang. Kazakstan sends about 3.5 million tons through the pipeline annually and wants to increase output to 20 million tons.<ref name=PIPELINE/> | |||
| Konstantin Syroyezhkin, a senior analyst at Kazakhstan's Strategic Studies and Research Institute, said "there are many common threats and these are already. There is ], immigration]], and ] and political extremism. There are a number of threats. And these are counter-terrorism exercises, international terrorism. Why should they not hold them? Look, there's a mess in Afghanistan; there must be some mutual cooperation in that matter. And anyway, it is not the first time they have held such exercises. Last year, or before last year, it was organized as a planned maneuver, there is nothing suspicious about that." Kazakhstan has held joint counter-terrorism exercises with NATO under the ] program and the ].<ref name=THREATS/> Meng Hongwei, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security and commander of the Chinese troops for the drill, warned that the "three evil forces" of ], ] and ] and increasing cross-border drug trafficking were affecting the region. Vice-Minister Hongwei said, "the exercise will help establish the SCO's active role in maintaining regional security and stability." SCO nation-members plan to hold another another series of anti-terrorism exercises in Russia in 2007. Vladimir Boshko, first vice-chairman of the Committee of the National Security of Kazakhstan, said the drill would improve anti-terror cooperation among SCO nation-members.<ref name=EVIL/> | |||
| ==Cooperation with India== | |||
| {{main|2001 Indian Parliament attack}} | |||
| The Kazakh government condemned the ] 2001 ] saying terrorism is unjustifiable. President Nazarbayev and ] ] reaffirmed this message by issuing a joint declaration on ] 2002, when Nazarbayev visited India for a state visit, stating that "terrorism not be justified in any form, for any cause or for any reason used as an excuse... the fight against terrorism has to be global, comprehensive and sustained for the objective of total elimination of terrorism everywhere." They agreed to establish a bilateral joint working group on counter-terrorism and expressed support for the ] and an end to terrorism in ]. During Nazarbayev's five-day visit, the first since 1996, he met with ] ], ] ] and opposition leader ].<ref name=INDIA> SAPRA Indian Foundation</ref> | |||
| ==Cooperation with international bodies== | |||
| ===CICA Declaration on Eliminating Terrorism=== | |||
| Officials from member state of the ] met in the first CICA conference in Almaty in June 2002. On ] they issued a "Declaration on Eliminating Terrorism and Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations." The Declaration condemns all acts of terrorism as "direct violations of ]" and recognizes that "all religions of the world reject violence and terrorism." It also expresses support for ].<ref name=CICA> Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada</ref> | |||
| ===Combating money laundering and terrorism financing workshop=== | |||
| The Kazakh government participated in a workshop on fighting ] and the financing of ], along with officials, including legislators and police officers, from the Global Program against Money Laundering of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, the ], ], ], ], ], and the ] in 2002 from ]-] in ], Kyrgyzstan and ] and ] in ], Kazakhstan. The workshop fulfilled part of an "Action Plan" agreed upon in December 2001 in a conference in Bishkek on security in Central Asia.<ref name=WORKSHOP> United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime</ref> | |||
| In Astana the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security of Kazakhstan advocated passing a law prohibiting money laundering in Kazakhstan per the United Nations' goal of banning money laundering in every country by 2003. Participants gave recommendations to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on changing legislation and bureaucracy to better fight illegal financing practices.<ref name=WORKSHOP/> | |||
| ===International Conference on Peace and Harmony=== | |||
| ], ], and ] leaders met with the President Nazarbayev, ] ], and ] ], and senior government officials from ], Afghanistan and ], in Almaty on ] 2003 for the International Conference on Peace and Harmony. President Bush said in a ] letter to Nazarbayev, "The United States strongly supports the Conference's objective of fostering peace and stability through dialogue among people of different nationalities and faiths. All peace-loving people share a deep interest in advancing religious liberty and tolerance, stemming hatred, and eliminating the threat of terrorism."<ref name=ICPH> Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada</ref> | |||
| Over 70 Jewish leaders participated, including ], Executive Vice Chairman, and ], Chairman, of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Zuckerman expressed "gratitude to all present for your fight against all forms of terrorism and extremism."<ref name=ICPH/> | |||
| ]s ], ], ], and representatives ], ], ], ] and others, signed separate letters of support for the conference, calling it "critical to worldwide efforts to counter extremism." It sent "a strong signal that the present and future course of the ] will not be controlled by those that would propagate hate, fear and murder, such as Al Qaeda, but by those nations and people who respect and promote peace, tolerance and ]." Participants in the conference established a permanent "Forum for Peace and Stability," with headquarters in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev said the Forum laid the "foundation for creating a mechanism for permanent dialogue in the name of stability, security and peace in the ]. New realities require new approaches to thinking of new principles of solving the problems." President Rakhmonov said, "The basis for the dialogue of civilizations lies in the unity of values preached by all religions. We must not allow attempts to pit civilizations against each other to succeed."<ref name=ICPH/> | |||
| ===United Nations Terrorism Committee conference in Almaty=== | |||
| Officials from the ]'s ] met in Almaty from ]-] 2005. The officials discussed terrorism, terrorism financing, money laundering, arms trafficking, illicit fund transfers, and fake charities in ]. ], the ]n ambassador to the United Nations, chaired the conference. On 26 January he said, "the reality is that the threat of terrorism cannot be eradicated completely in the near future. It will continue to reproduce itself one way or the other. But nations can and should make every effort to limit the opportunities for this threat to realize itself, and this is what we are doing, and this is what we are going to discuss during our conference." He also said "terrorism has deep roots in Central Asia." President Nazarbayev 's said in his opening statement, "Kazakhstan's national security is closely linked to the security of the Central Asian region. And security in Central Asia should be considered an integral component of security in . The Central Asian region should be part of a Eurasian security system that is part of a global security system."<ref name=UNTC> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> | |||
| Boris Mylnikov, head of the CIS Antiterrorism Center, announced a list of terrorist organizations recognized by the CSTO and SCO. ] released an open letter to the CTC, calling on CTC nations to recognize the importance of respecting ] while fighting terrorism. Rachel Denber, acting HRW director for Europe and Central Asia, expressed concerns about ]. HRW opposes the Kazakh government's extradition of Muslims to China because they may be ].<ref name=UNTC/> | |||
| ==Cooperation with Russia== | |||
| ], First Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the Russian ], gave a speech to the chiefs of general staffs of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine in February 2006 prior to the fifteenth anniversary of the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. He called on them to cooperate in fighting against "terrorism, cross-border crime and the drug mafia." The governments of Georgia, Moldova and Turkmenistan chose to not send representatives to the meeting.<ref name=BALUYEVSKY> RIA Novosti</ref> | |||
| At the same time Kazakhstan has extradited terrorist suspects to Russia. FSB and KNB agents caught Vakha Izmailov, suspected of involvement in the ] and of other attacks in ], in a joint operation in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh KNB then transferred him to the Russian FSB.<ref name=IZMAILOV> Sulekha</ref> | |||
| ==Cooperation with Singapore== | |||
| Oral Mukhamedzhanov, Speaker of Kazakhstan's Lower House of Parliament, met with ] ] on ], 2006. They discussed international terrorism and increasing cooperation between the two nations in counter-terrorism. Speaker Mukhamedzhanov visited ] after Singaporean Parliament Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi invited him.<ref name=SINGAPORE> Channel News Asia</ref> | |||
| ==Cooperation with the United States== | |||
| {{main|Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States in counter-terrorism}} | |||
| ===Response to the September 11, 2001 attacks=== | |||
| {{main|September 11, 2001 attacks}} | |||
| {{Politics of Kazakhstan}}After the ], ] ] sent a message to ] ] expressing "indignation about terrorist acts that resulted in loss of numerous lives." The "civilized community must unite and take effective measures to fight international terrorism. All the Kazakhstan people sympathize with the American people in their grief and mourn aver the tragedy."<ref name=NATOSPEECH> North Atlantic Treaty Organization</ref> | |||
| According to the ], the Kazakh government has been "extremely supportive the U.S.-led war against terrorism." The government offered the use of a major airport for ]. Over 800 U.S. flights over Kazakh territory were approved and went ahead. CDI's profile of Kazakhstan credits security forces for "step up efforts to protect U.S. government facilities and oil facilities with U.S. private investment" and pledging to "freeze the assets of terrorists identified on the U.S. designated terrorist asset-freeze list." The U.S. officially gave the Kazakh government USD $52,893,000 million in 2002, $47 million in 2003, and $36.2 million in 2004.<ref name=CDI> Center for Defense Information</ref> In addition, U.S. Government agencies spent $92 million in assistance programs in Kazakhstan in 2003.<ref name=ASSIST> U.S. Department of State</ref> | |||
| Three Kazakh citizens, ], ], and ], all born in Semey, Kazakhstan, are held in ] detention in the United States' ], in ] for alleged ties to the Taliban. Additionally, Uzbek citizen and Guantánamo prisoner ]'s birthplace is Abaye, Kazakhstan.<ref name=GBNB> U.S. Department of Defense</ref> | |||
| In a speech given on ] 2001 at the ] during the Defence Ministers session, ], the Kazakh ] and General of the ], said the attacks "demonstrated that international terrorism has no borders and represents a threat to all the world community." He reaffirmed Kazakhstan's will to fight terrorism and the need to "punish" terrorists and their sponsors. Addressing the possibility, raised by ] experts," of using Kazakh airfields for counterterrorist operations, he said there were "other practical issues under consideration," but that Kazakhstan would commit to providing humanitarian assistance to ].<ref name=NATOSPEECH/> | |||
| ===United States air bases=== | |||
| In 2002 a ] diplomat accused the ] of trying to secure a defunct ], originally used by the ] specifically for theoretical military operations against China, near ] in eastern Kazakhstan. A high-ranking Kazakh Defense Ministry official said the U.S. Government, as part of its anti-terrorism operations in ], had requested the use of military bases in ] and ]. Ibragim Alibekov, a journalist for '']'', characterized ] ]'s support for the "anti-terrorism campaign" as cautious and "hesitant on the implementation of concrete cooperation measures."<ref name=BASE> EurasiaNet</ref> However, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry applauds Kazakhstan for playing "a vital role in U.S.-led efforts to combat international terrorism."<ref name=NCSJ> National Conference on Soviet Jewry</ref> President Bush called Kazakhstan a "strategic partner of the United States in Central Asia" and said the United States wanted to expand anti-terrorism cooperation.<ref name=PRAISE> Eurasia Daily Monitor</ref> | |||
| Alleged U.S. attempts to acquire bases were criticized by ] ], who said such actions were unjustifiable, and Russian ] Speaker ].<ref name=BASE/> | |||
| An anonymous expert within the Kazakh Defense Ministry said that "of all the assistance can offer towards military counter-terrorism operations—allowing use of our airfields, opening air corridors and sharing intelligence information—the last would be the least risky for Kazakhstan. Allowing the use of airfields means going into direct confrontation with the Taliban, and that is not a good scenario in our situation." An anonymous, high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said "the influx of refugees" created by U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan "is one problem, but the greater problem is that terrorists and militants might flee northward disguised as civilians." Professor Murat Abdirov, director of the International Relations Institute of Eurasian University, said, "Kazakhstan cannot stay away from the international anti-terrorism coalition, but we should proceed with caution."<ref name=READY/> | |||
| The Kazakh government did offer the use of a major airport for military operations<ref name=CDI/>, but three years later, with ] operations against the ] in ] continuing, General ], head of ], said on ] 2005 that the ] did not "expect to open a military base in Kazakhstan unless a tense situation emerges in the region, under which the Kazakh government requests the U.S. armed forces to do so."<ref name=NOEXPECT> MOSNEWS</ref> | |||
| ==Cooperation with Uzbekistan== | |||
| ===Andijan massacre=== | |||
| {{main|Andijan massacre}} | |||
| Nazarbayev, while on a state visit to ], told ] ] that the ]'s actions in quelling unrest in the Uzbek city of ] on ] and ] 2005 helped "protect the peace of 26 million Uzbekistanis. A different outcome would have destabilized the region today." He said that because terrorists had taken over government buildings and prisons, Karimov could not respond differently to the unrest, and other governments had responded similarly in the past. The Uzbek government attributed the unrest to Islamic extremist groups recognized as terrorist organizations in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek government estimated 187 people, made up of 94 terrorists, 60 civilians, 31 policemen, and two others died, and 76 terrorists were injured. Human rights groups dispute the government's estimate, accusing Uzbek security forces of killing about 700 civilians.<ref name=ANDIJAN> RIA Novosti</ref> | |||
| ====Extradition of terrorist suspects==== | |||
| On ] 2005 ] called upon the Kazakh government to refrain from handing over ], the Andijan representative for the Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, then held in Almaty, to the Uzbek government. The Office of the ] had given Shamsudinov ] status and planned to resettle him when Kazakh authorities detained him on ]. Earlier that day President Karimov visited Kazakhstan along with other regional nations' representatives as part of a ] meeting. The Uzbek government requested Shamsudinov's ], charging him with five criminal charges including premeditated murder. Holly Cartner, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights Watch, said, "Kazakhstan should step forward and protect this brave man. Instead of that, the authorities seem ready to hand over a refugee to be tortured, in blatant violation of ]." In response to statements made by a representative for the Almaty city prosecutor's office, in which the representative called Shamsudinov a terrorist, Cartner said, "The terrorist accusation is a perversion of international concerns about terrorism and an attempt to block international support for Shamsudinov. In reality, he is someone who worked tirelessly towards the ] in Uzbekistan."<ref name=SHAMSUDINOV/> Russia also deported an asylum seeker to Uzbekistan, Rustam Muminov, who Uzbek authorities accuse of involvement in the Andijan unrest and membership in a religious extremist organization,<ref name=MUMINOV> MOS News</ref> and Kyrgyzstan deported five Andijan-refugees - Jahongir Maqsudov, Yoqub Toshboev, Odiljon Rahimov, Rasuljon Pirmatov, and Fayoz Tojihalilov - to Uzbekistan in early August 2006.<ref name=KYRGYZFIVEDEPORT> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> | |||
| ===Security fence=== | |||
| Kazakh border officials began building a 28-mile long ] on the border with Uzbekistan on ] 2006.<ref name=FENCEBYRFE> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> '']'' reported that the fence will be "eight-foot-high barbed-wire" and searchlights "along heavily populated towns and cities on the southern ridge" where drug smugglers operate. The area is a "flash point in a larger regional struggle against Islamic militants."<ref name=FENCE> The New York Times</ref> | |||
| The governments of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan first created national border guard forces in 1992 and January 1998 respectively, far earlier than other post-] nations. The Kazakh government raised the force in status, ending the State Security Committee's control until the Committee regained control in 1998.<ref name=BORDERHISTORY> Geneva Center for the Democratic control of Armed Forces</ref> | |||
| Other Central Asian nations have had border disputes in the past. ] and ] had serious "issues" regarding their mutual border until May 2004. The Turkmen Foreign Ministry released a statement on ] saying disputes had been resolved.<ref name=TURKUZBORDER> RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty</ref> | |||
| Erik Roslyakov, second in command of Kazakhstan's southern border, said the fence will cover the Sariaghash and Maktaaral districts. Larisa Dmitriyuk, spokeswoman for Kazakhstan's border administration, said the border patrol's "task will now be easier. We will be in a position to use our weapons, as it is the rule when one wants to catch ."<ref name=FENCEBYRFE/> | |||
| In addition to tightening security, Bruce Pannier of ''Payvand'' noted increased military spending to strengthen Kazakhstan's border with Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan.<ref name=MILITARY> Payvand</ref> | |||
| ==Criticism== | |||
| Vyacheslav Kasymov, Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-terrorist Center of the ], has accused the Kazakh government of giving refuge to terrorist organizations<ref name=KENTAI> Eurasia Daily Monitor</ref>, an accusation the Kazakh Foreign Ministry denies.<ref name=SHELTERING> Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations</ref> The ] and ] have criticized the ]'s policy of transferring terrorist suspects to neighboring countries, specifically ], where HRW says suspects face torture.<ref name=SHAMSUDINOV> Human Rights Watch</ref><ref name=MAYDEPORTED> Scoop Independent News</ref> | |||
| The strongest criticism of the Nazarbayev administration's counter-terrorism operations comes from Harout Semerdjian of the ]. Semerdjian accuses the government of engaging in "semi-]" through unlawful arrests of journalists, ], and other attacks on the press. The U.S. embassy criticized an act of arson in Kazakhstan in May 2002.<ref name=STATETERRORISM> UCLA International Institute</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| <div class= | |||
| "references-small"> | |||
| <references/></div> | |||
| {{War on Terrorism}} | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 10:39, 7 February 2007
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