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World

Tokayev names special forces chief Aidos Myrzakhmetov as Kazakhstan's defence minister

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has named special forces commander Aidos Myrzakhmetov as defence minister, hours after sacking Dauren Kosanov over the Caspian Sea exercise deaths.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Aidos Myrzakhmetov as Minister of Defense, the presidential press service in Astana announced on Sunday.

Myrzakhmetov, previously commander of the Armed Forces’ Special Operations Forces, was named by presidential decree, which also relieved him of his former post, Akorda reported. The Astana Times said he graduated from the Military Academy of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan in 2002 and earlier headed a department of the State Security Service. Tokayev appointed him commander of the Special Operations Forces in January 2024 and awarded him the military rank of Major General this May.

The appointment came hours after Tokayev dismissed Dauren Kosanov as defence minister over the deaths of 14 servicemen during a Caspian Sea naval exercise on September 24. Seventeen servicemen were swept into the sea during a combat training mission in the Mangystau region as weather deteriorated; three were rescued. Tokayev declared September 25 a national day of mourning, and a government commission is investigating the incident, with the General Prosecutor’s Office conducting a pre-trial investigation.

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