While Kazakstan is not considered to be a hotbed of extremist activity, its long, largely unprotected border with Russia, China and Uzbekistan makes it an attractive option for outlawed groups.

Political scientist Adil Nurakishev told IWPR, “Kazakstan is attractive to terrorists as a transit country and also as a place they can hide from the law-enforcement bodies and special services.”

President Nursultan Nazarbaev called for stronger border security measures during a September 7 official function, at which he discussed the school hostage tragedy in the Russian town of Beslan, in which more than 300 people - many of them children - were killed.

“I have tasked the government together with all law enforcement bodies to take additional measures to strengthen border and migration services, to work out an action plan to prevent illegal migration and cross-border smuggling and to toughen passport and visa control,” he said.

A new interior ministry body to toughen the registration of foreign citizens entering Kazakstan was set up the following day and, at a parliamentary committee meeting on September 10, the authorities announced that the republic was to tighten controls on its southern border with Uzbekistan and its western frontier with Azerbaijan.