President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the tragic incident that claimed the lives of servicemen in peacetime was caused primarily by the negligence and professional incompetence of officers, including generals. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The head of state held a meeting with the leadership of the defense department. The meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of the 14 servicemen who died during exercises in the Mangystau region.
"I expressed my condolences to the parents of each deceased serviceman and sent special telegrams. All necessary assistance will be provided to the families of the deceased citizens. None of them will be left without support and help," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The President demanded to clarify not only the circumstances of the tragic incident, but also what prompted the planning of such exercises and how much the assigned task corresponds to current threats.
"The leadership of the Armed Forces has been unable to resolve accumulated problems for years. This undermines the defense capability of our country. You have not learned lessons from past tragic events. The meaning and purpose of these training camps are unclear. Why did you not pay attention to coordination work? Why was the Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces absent from the training camps? Irresponsibility, negligence, and eyewash have become widespread. The action plan in a crisis situation does not stand up to criticism. All this is a consequence of the indifference of the leadership of the military department," said the head of state.