ASTANA -- Kazakhstani authorities have recently detained 16 members of the banned extremist group Takfir wal-Hijra, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported Wednesday (December 21), quoting the country's National Security Committee (KNB).
The round-up is on-going in Almaty city and in Almaty, Aktobe and Atyrau provinces, the KNB said.
Takfir wal-Hijra, an Egyptian-founded organisation, is suspected of links to al-Qaeda. It is on several countries' lists of terrorist groups and was banned in Kazakhstan in 2014.
