Russia-led troops begin pullback from Kazakhstan

Over 2,000 Russia-led troops yesterday began withdrawing from Kazakhstan after being deployed when peaceful protests over an energy price hike turned into unprecedented violence claiming dozens of lives. "The peacekeeping operation is over ... the tasks have been fulfilled," said Russian General Andrei Serdyukov, commander of the CSTO contingent that saw troops from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan sent to the former Soviet republic on January 6. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier warned Kazakhstan that "once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave".