Kazakhstan's regional security offices hit by suicide bomber

A suspected suicide bomber has targeted the National Security Committee office in Kazakhstan's northern city of Aktobe. The attack has reportedly left several people injured. Kazakh authorities have said a man by the name of Rahimjan Makhatov is believed to be responsible for the attack.

Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office has said that Makhatov, 25, was a suspected member an organised crime group. The bomber has died at the scene. The authorities are yet to issue further information.

The attack has caused a bit of a stir in what is regarded as one of Caspian's most stable states. The country, has been run by long-time President Nursultan Nazarbayev, re-elected in April, since before the fall of the Soviet Union.

Aktobe, an oil town in northwestern Kazakhstan close to the Russian border, hosts major oil and gas pipelines, including one of the main pipelines to China.

Sources: BBC News, AFP, Hurriyet Daily News

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