National Security Committee (Kazakhstan)
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The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NSC) is an intelligence agency in
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 ...
founded on 13 July 1992. It primarily manages the Border Service of Kazakhstan, which conducts oversight over the international borders 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 ...
. The NSC also oversees the Arystan ('Lions') commando unit.


History

The NSC was created in accordance with a law passed by parliament in July 1992 which authorised the establishment of an agency to replace the
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
, the old national security apparatus of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Initially, it retained most of the staff which the KGB had employed in Kazakhstan, as well as the powers the KGB had held; its first head, Bulat Baekenov, had worked for the KGB for over two decades. Its early years were marked by close cooperation with Russia on issues of border security and counter-intelligence against alleged foreign spies. In December 1995, a new presidential decree modified some of the NSC's powers. In January 2010, Kazakhstani 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 ...
appointed his nephew Samat Abish as the NSC's head of human resources; opposition lawmaker Serikbolsyn Abdildin of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan claimed this shows that Nazarbayev considers personal loyalty more important than skill in government posts.


Operations

In November 2008, journalist Ramazan Yesergepov published an article entitled "Who Rules the Country: President or National Security Committee?" It contained private NSC correspondence which was later listed as classified, resulting in his 2009 arrest and conviction on security charges. The case led to domestic and international condemnation. In early 2021, the NSC, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, conducted an operation under the auspices of "Operation Zhusan" to return a group of Kazakhstani citizens from Syria.


Main directions of activity

* Counterintelligence Service, support law enforcement in neutralizing threats to national security. * Anti-Terror Service, protects the country from terrorist threats. * Economic Security Service, suppresses activities aimed at causing economic damage to Kazakhstan. * Information and Cyber Security Service, ensures the protection of the nation from internal and external threats to cyberspace. * Department of Military Counterintelligence, serves to identify, prevent and suppress in the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations, intelligence and other activities aimed at damaging the security of the republic. * Service "A", suppresses acts of terrorism. Nominal structure Structural divisions and departments of the National Security Committee: * Counterintelligence Service * Military Police Department of the National Security Committee * "Syrbar" ( Foreign Intelligence Service) * Anti-terror service * Economic Security Service * Information and Cyber Security Service * Department of Military Counterintelligence * Government Liaison Service * Border Service * Arystan Commando Unit * Special Forces Service (SSN) * State Technical Service * 17 Territorial Divisions * Research and educational institutions


Arystan Commando Unit

The Arystan ("Lions") Commando Unit () is a
special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit of the Office of the NSC and the armed forces. It was created as part of the Presidential Security Service on 13 January 1992. It succeeded the
Alpha Group Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group, officially Directorate "A" of FSB Special Purpose Center (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is a sub-unit of Russian special forces within the Russian Special Forces Center of the Feder ...
of the Soviet
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
based in the Almaty Oblast (12th Group), which was dissolved in October 1990. Since April 1993, the unit has been referred to as the Arystan Unit. Every year, personnel of the unit are required to pass a qualifying exam. It currently operates in
Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
,
Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...
, and
Aktau Aktau (; ) is a city in south-west Kazakhstan, on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Aktau is on the Mangyshlak Peninsula in the Mangystau Region. Known for its strategic location on the Caspian Sea, Aktau is a port, playing a key role in th ...
(the latter being done in order to ensure safety in the oil-producing fields). Its nickname is the ''Holy Slim of Kazakhstan'' (). Today's training of "Arystan" is based on extensive international experience, having training from the Special Purpose Center (CSN) of the
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n
Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...
, the American
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
and
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, as well as the
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
of the German
Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
. Notable commanders include
Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin (; October 27, 1947 – March 24, 2003) was a member of the KGB who was instrumental in the Soviet–Afghan War. He was born in the Ukrainian city of Lutsk. He joined the KGB's Alpha Group in 1967 and worked his way ...
and
Amangeldy Shabdarbayev Colonel General Amangeldy Shabdarbayev (, ''Amangeldı Smağūlūly Şabdarbaev''; born on 1 August 1950) is a Kazakh military officer who served as the Chairman of the National Security Committee (KNB) from 2 March 2006 to 7 December 2009. He r ...
. In 2006, five members of the unit were arrested and charged with the kidnapping and death of the co-chairman of the opposition Naghyz Ak Zhol party
Altynbek Sarsenbayuly Altynbek Sarsenbayuly (, ''Altynbek Särsenbaiūly''; 12 September 1962 – 11 February 2006) was a Kazakh politician who served in the Government of Kazakhstan before becoming a political opposition leader. At the time of his death, he serv ...
, as well as his driver and bodyguard. Interior Minister
Baurzhan Mukhamedzhanov Baurzhan Alimuly Mukhamejanov (, ''Bauyrjan Älımūly Mūhamedjanov''; born 26 November 1960) is a Kazakh politician and Doctor of Law who served as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Georgia from May 30, 2018 to December 9, 2022. Prior to that, Mukha ...
stated that the unit members were paid $25,000 in return for committing the murder.Top Kazakh Aide Quits in Crisis After Killing of Opposition Figure
New York Times


Chairman

The KNB of Kazakhstan is headed by the chairman, who is appointed by the
President of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...
with the consent of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
of the Parliament of the Republic and dismissed by the president of the Republic from office.


List of chairmen

*Bulat Baekenov (October 1991 – December 1993) * Sat Tokpakbayev (December 1993 – November 1995) left his post to take up the chairmanship of the Special Security Division (Специализированное охранное подразделение) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs * Dzhenisbek Dzhumanbekov (November 1995 – May 1997) his term was marked by scandal over illegal dealings with Iran, and his vice-chairman was sacked; Dzhumanbekov himself resigned from his position and left public life * Alnur Musaev (May 1997 – September 1998) *
Nurtai Abykayev Nurtai Abykayuly Abykayev (; born 15 May 1947) is a Kazakh politician who was the chairman of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan from August 2010 to December 2015 and from September 1998 to August 1999. Previously he was Ambassado ...
(1 September 1998 – August 1999) * Alnur Musaev (August 1999 – May 2001) *
Marat Tazhin Marat Mukhanbetkazyuly Tajin (, ''Marat Mūhanbetqazyūly Täjin''; born 8 April 1960) is a Kazakh politician. He served as the Foreign Minister in the Government of Kazakhstan from 2007 to 2009. He previously served as Secretary of the National ...
(May 2001 – December 2001) * Nartai Dutbayev (December 2001 – 22 February 2006) *
Amangeldy Shabdarbayev Colonel General Amangeldy Shabdarbayev (, ''Amangeldı Smağūlūly Şabdarbaev''; born on 1 August 1950) is a Kazakh military officer who served as the Chairman of the National Security Committee (KNB) from 2 March 2006 to 7 December 2009. He r ...
(2 March 2006 – 7 December 2009) * Adil Shayakhmetov (9 December 2009 – August 2010) *
Nurtai Abykayev Nurtai Abykayuly Abykayev (; born 15 May 1947) is a Kazakh politician who was the chairman of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan from August 2010 to December 2015 and from September 1998 to August 1999. Previously he was Ambassado ...
(August 2010 – December 2015) * Vladimir Zhumakanov (December 2015 – September 2016) *
Karim Massimov Karim Qajymqanuly Massimov (, , ; born 15 June 1965)Kazakhstan moves to ...
(September 2016 – January 2022) * Ermek Sağymbaev (January 2022 – present)


Chairman controversies

* Chairman Musaev's second term was ended by dismissal from his post due to personal conflicts with the president and other elites * Chairman Nurtai Abykayev was dismissed from his post for his role in a scandal over the sale of old
MiG Mig, MiG, or MIG may refer to: Business * MiG, a Russian aircraft corporation **Any of the MiG aircraft *Marfin Investment Group MIG Holdings S.A. (also known as MIG) is a Greece, Greek investment company. It has acquired several companies an ...
fighter planes to
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Defense, and replaced by his predecessor. * Adil Shayakhmetov was removed from his post in the aftermath of the arrest of Prosecutor-General's Office official
Murat Musabekov Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsew ...
, who was fingered as allegedly plotting a coup in an anonymous letter allegedly circulated by NSC officers. * Nartai Dutbayev resigned in scandal over murder of opposition politician
Altynbek Sarsenbayev Altynbek Sarsenbayuly (, ''Altynbek Särsenbaiūly''; 12 September 1962 – 11 February 2006) was a Kazakh politician who served in the Government of Kazakhstan before becoming a political opposition leader. At the time of his death, he serv ...
.


Notes


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Official website

Статьи о спецподразделениях КазахстанаДокументальный фильм телеканала «Хабар» к 25-летию Службы специального назначения «А»Ассоциация ветеранов подразделения антитеррора «Альфа»
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan Government of Kazakhstan Government agencies established in 1992 Intelligence agencies