KAZBAT refers to a

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

military unit in the

Armed Forces of Kazakhstan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan (, , ) are the unified armed forces of Kazakhstan. They consist of three branches ( Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces) as well as four independent formations ( Air Assault Forces, Spec ...

. It is an airmobile brigade of the Kazakh Air Assault Forces.

History

In 1995, the governments of Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

, and

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

established the Central Asian Battalion (CENTRASBAT). It was dissolved in 1999, even though the last manoeuvre took place as initially planned in 2000. Afterwards, KAZBAT was established on 31 January 2000 by decree of President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...

and is responsible for conducting peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions in foreign countries on behalf of the

Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. In 2015, the Law "On Peacekeeping of the Republic of Kazakhstan" was adopted by the

Parliament of Kazakhstan The Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the bicameral legislature of Kazakhstan, consisting of the upper house, the Senate, and the lower house, the Mäjilis. Both chambers conduct legislative sessions at the Parliament House in the cap ...

, defining the tasks and competencies of the state in regulating the participation of the country's peacekeeping operations around the world.

Deployments

US Army 52136 Steppe Eagle exercise increases interoperability

In 2003, Nazarbayev sent close to 300 KAZBAT peacekeepers to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

during the early stages of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, where its personnel took part in

Demining Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By cont ...

operations. During this 5 year action as part of a NATO-led

Multi-National Force – Iraq The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a U.S.-led military command during the Iraq War from 2004 to 2009. The vast majority of MNF-I was made up of United States Army forces. However it also ...

, an

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

occurred when Kazakh

sappers A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses, ...

accompanied by a Ukrainian back-up team set off two rigged aerial bombs while attempting to unload them from the transport vehicles. Compared to the 8 deaths from the Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade, the battalion suffered a sole fatality.

Ukrainian President The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma (, ; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine, serving from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. The only president of Ukraine to serve two terms, his presidency was marked by demo ...

ordered the immediate withdrawal of Ukrainian peacekeepers as a result, but the Kazakh unit remained until 2008. Soldiers of the battalion have also been sent on peacekeeping missions led by the United Nations, including those in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

(as part of the

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

, Cote d’Ivoire and

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. In the Lebanese contingent, a company of 120 personnel were part of the IndKazBat unit. The

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

described the mission as one that "will help strengthen international security and demonstrates Kazakhstan’s position as a responsible member of the international community".

Training exercises

It has also participated in many joint exercises with other peacekeeping units and military units, such as the

Arizona Army National Guard The Arizona Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. Arizona Army National Gu ...

. Since 2002, the unit has hosted the joint tactical peacekeeping exercise "Steppe Eagle" in Kazakhstan, during which it operates within a multinational force under a unified

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

-led command. The battalion annually sends at least a dozen soldiers to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to attend the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

Training Establishment for Peace Support Operations in the region.

Requirements

All members of the battalion are fluent in English, as well as other languages, including

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. Other criteria include at least 5 years of service in the military, excellent physical shape, and health and an age range of between 25 and 50 years old.

In popular culture

In 2019, a film directed by Askar Uzabaev was released called ''The KAZBAT Soldiers'', which depicted a border skirmish during a peacekeeping operation in

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

during their

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

when 17 members of the battalion's predecessor unit were killed in fighting with Islamic rebels. The film was primarily aired on the Qazaqstan state media channel.

References