12 security forces killed,353 injured in Kazakhstan; Situation beyond control

According to the AFP news agency, security forces in Kazakhstan have lost at least 12 lives and 353 have been injured as a result of the turmoil.

According to news sources, protesters in Kazakhstan's largest city invaded the Presidential palace and the Mayor's office on Wednesday, setting both on fire, as protests spurred by a surge in fuel prices escalated significantly in the Central Asian nation.

Tokayev stated on state television soon before midnight that he had requested assistance in restoring order from other countries in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance of ex-Soviet states that includes Russia.

He stated that terrorist groups were behind the turmoil, with assistance from unnamed foreign countries. He also claimed that protesters had hijacked five planes during an attack on Almatys airport, but the deputy mayor afterward claimed that the airport had been cleared of marauders and was operating regularly.