Kazakhstan shopkeepers on aftermath of unrest

Several days of civil unrest in Kazakhstan have left many local businesses devastated after businesses were robbed following protests and unrest, leaving several stores empty in the country's capital.

An Almaty clothing store owner Lyudmila said she and her husband had to guard what was left after the store had been almost emptied.

"There were people passing by, men peeking in through the holes. And we just stood here to make sure no trespassers get in," said Lyudmila.

Their store suffered 15,500,000 tenge worth of damage (around 35,000 US dollars).

Galina Karpenko's women's underwear store was also broken into, taking a 10,000 dollars hit of stolen goods and damage.

"I don't know how to feed my kids," Galina said.

The president of Kazakhstan announced Tuesday that a Russia-led security alliance will start pulling out its troops from the country in two days after completing its mission.

The mostly Russian troops were deployed to Kazakhstan last week by the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance of six former Soviet states, at the president's request amid the worst public unrest the former Soviet nation has faced since gaining independence 30 years ago.

Protests over soaring fuel prices erupted in the oil and gas-rich Central Asian nation of 19 million on Jan. 2 and quickly spread across the country, with political slogans reflecting wider discontent over the authoritarian government.

Over the next few days, the demonstrations turned extremely violent, with dozens of civilians and law enforcement officers killed.

In Almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital and largest city, protesters set government buildings on fire and briefly seized the airport. By the weekend, the unrest has been largely quelled.

IMAGE: AP