Kazakhstan continued to aggressively combat terrorism. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Interior announced on January 10 that Ministry of Interior troops have new responsibilities related to the fight against terrorism under a new military doctrine, and the Ministry held a counterterrorism exercise in January. In August the National Security Committee (KNB), and the Ministries of the Interior, Defense, and Emergency Situations held counterterrorism exercises at the international trade port in Aktau.[2] On August 28, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed two new laws to counter terrorist funding and money laundering.

Kazakhstan's cooperation with the United States included its hosting of a September 29-October 1 Legislative Drafting Expert Workshop on Counterterrorism. During the seminar, Kazakhstani legal experts from both houses of the country's Parliament, the General Prosecutor's office, and the Customs Control Committee reviewed Kazakhstan's counterterrorism legislation, based on advice from U.S. and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) experts. During FBI Director Robert Mueller's November 17 visit to Astana, the Prosecutor-General's Office and the FBI signed a memorandum of understanding, stating that the parties intend to cooperate in the fight against organized crime and money laundering. Mueller also met with then-KNB Chairman Amangeldy Shabdarbayev, who agreed to intensify cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Kazakhstani government agencies have typically provided limited information on domestic terrorism cases and generally do not provide contextual information on cases reported by the press.

Kazakhstan has continued to detain and prosecute suspected terrorists. The press reported a number of cases in which individuals were detained or sentenced for suspected acts of terrorism, including the following:

  • On September 22, local press reported that the Astana City police detained a 23-year-old Uzbek citizen. After an investigation determined he was wanted by Uzbek law-enforcement agencies on suspicion of carrying out terrorist activities, the police arrested him, pending an extradition decision.

  • On September 24, national media published an article stating that an Aktobe Province court sentenced six local people to 12-17 years in prison for terrorism. According to the press, the group intended to punish foreign investors and announce a jihad against infidels. The six alleged terrorists reportedly planned to blow up oil company facilities in the region and possessed arms and explosives.

To prevent radicalization and support other domestic counterterrorism initiatives, Kazakhstan actively promoted intercultural and religious dialogues. Most notably, Kazakhstan hosted the third triennial Congress of World and Traditional Religions in Astana July 1-2, and it has stressed multi-confessional concord as a key element of a proposed "doctrine of national unity." During the October 26 opening session of the Kazakhstan People's Assembly (KPA), Nazarbayev also suggested the creation of a doctrine on national unity. Nazarbayev suggested that the doctrine focus on the shared priorities of Kazakhstan and the KPA and particularly emphasized multi-confessional concord.

Kazakhstan also continued to strengthen its engagement in international counterterrorism activities. On February 11, the Government of Kazakhstan ratified a 2007 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) agreement to actively advance cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held a counterterrorism drill in Aktau in October, with participation from various Kazakhstani security forces.


[2] Aktau is Kazakhstan's largest port on the Caspian Sea and an important shipping site in the transportation of oil from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan and Russia.

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