Russia says CSTO peacekeepers to complete withdrawal from Kazakhstan on Jan. 19 -Ifax

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Thursday said the withdrawal from Kazakhstan of peacekeeping troops from the Moscow-led CSTO military alliance would be completed on Jan. 19, the Interfax news agency cited him as saying.

President Vladimir Putin said it was time for the contingent of CSTO troops to return home after achieving its objective in Kazakhstan, Interfax reported, after a week-long deployment during the worst bout of unrest in the Central Asian nation's post-Soviet history.