Syria: Kazakhstan evacuates over 230 nationals

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - Some 231 Kazakh nationals have been evacuated from Syria, Kazakhstan's president said on Friday.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a statement that the evacuations, including 156 preschool-aged children, took place on Tuesday and Thursday.

He noted that the latest batch was a continuation of a months-long humanitarian action started by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In January, 47 Kazakh citizens, including 30 children, were evacuated from the war-torn country, where they were tricked and held hostage by terrorists, as reported by the Kazakh presidency.

Rehabilitation measures were taken for all citizens upon their arrival, Tokayev said, adding that medical, psychological and social assistance had been provided.

"The women who returned in January of this year have stepped down from their radical past, got a job and re-established ties with relatives. The children went to schools and kindergartens," he said.

Tokayev stressed that Kazakh citizens who travelled to Syrian battle zones decided to take this "reckless" step under the influence of "destructive and deceitful" terrorist propaganda.

"Now, they are returning to Kazakhstan voluntarily, in the hope of starting a new life. Their children should not suffer in a foreign land and be responsible for the mistakes of their parents," Tokayev added.

Reaffirming Kazakhstan's commitment to countering the terrorism, he underlined that the country would provide comprehensive assistance to its citizens in difficult situations.

The humanitarian action will continue, Tokayev said.

According to Kazakhstan's security services, hundreds of Kazakhs crossed into Syria to join the Daesh terror group since the vicious civil war broke out in 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.