Terrorists destroyed in Bishkek - Kazakhstani citizens?

On July 16, during a special operation in Bishkek by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Kyrgyzstan, four armed militants were eliminated, Tengrinews reports citing various Kyrgyz media sources. Presumably, the militants belonged to a cell of a terrorist organization. According to AKIpress, the members of the terrorist organization were citizens of Kazakhstan.

During the operation in the evening of the day, four men of a special division of SCNS received injuries of various severity and were taken to medical facilities in Bishkek. Their health is said to be satisfactory. No civilians were injured into the shootout. According to K-News, three houses caught fire during the operation.

Two more militants were destroyed in an operation in another district of the Kyrgyz capital.

"Currently, the SCNS authorities are continuing the investigation and operational search actions to identify other active members and supporters of the terrorist underground," the press service said.

According to the Kyrgyz National Security Committee, four alleged terrorists were eliminated and another seven members of the group were arrested. According to the press service, the international group included citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and was led by a 27-year-old citizen of Kazakhstan Zhanbolat Amirov. It is known that in June 2015 he, along with another man from Kazakhstan, 24-year-old Albert Abkhin, escaped from a penal colony in Kyrgyzstan. Later, during the operation to arrest Abkhin, he committed suicide bombing, while Amirov managed to escape and was on the wanted list.

Abkhin Albert and Amirov Zhanbolat. Photo courtesy of vb.kg

Press secretary of the National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan Rakhat Sulaimanov said that the terrorist organization was linked to the Islamic State. One of the versions is that the terrorist organization in question is Hizb ut-Tahrir, K-News reports.

Members of the terrorist group, which included citizens of Kazakhstan, planned to blow up Kant airbase and seize arms and ammunition, AKIpress reported citing the press service of the National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan.

According to the press service, the terrorists planned to stage devastating explosions on July 17 in densely populated areas of Bishkek, including at Ala-Too Square during Eid festive. "For this purpose they intended to blow up cars filled with powerful improvised explosive devices. They purchased 500 liters of ammonium nitrate to make the bombs," the press service said.

Six AK-47s, one AKSU, five handguns (including a Makarov gun and a TT pistol), a large number of grenades and ammunition were found and confiscated, as well as 500 kilograms of ammonium nitrate.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry has not yet confirm the information about the liquidated militants. However, Kazakhstani National Security Committee refuted the information spread by the Kyrgyz media about the leader of the group allegedly eliminated during the special operation.

"Some media sources had reports about elimination of Kazakhstani citizens Abkhin Albert and Amirov Zhanbolat during the special operation of the SCNS of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek. These persons are known to the National Security Committee. Both of them lived in West Kazakhstan Oblast and left the country to participate in armed conflict in Syria and Iraq under the influence of radical propaganda," they said in a statement.

According to the Kazakhstani authorities, Abkhin in May and Amirov in August 2014 illegally entered Kyrgyzstan and attempted to go further abroad. In the summer of 2014 they were arrested by Kyrgyz security services and prosecuted for illegally crossing the border, use of forged documents and organization of illegal migration. Abkhin was sentenced to 4 years, Amirov to 3 years in prison.

"In May 2015 Abkhin and Amirov escaped from a penal colony. The National Security Committee assisted Kyrgyz special services in the search for the criminals. As a result, the two wanted persons were found, but during arrest they offered armed resistance and were eliminated. Reports of some of the media about Abkhin and Amirov creating and running a terrorist organization on the territory of Kazakhstan are not true," the Kazakhstani National Security Committee said.

By Dinara Urazova