Why are the activities of American biological laboratories in Kazakhstan opaque?
Author: Talib Aliyev, analyst, especially for “Sangar”
Four villages in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan were quarantined in February-March 2024 due to a strange disease in horses. The head of the regional inspection of the Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee, Erzhan Beketbaev, commented on the mass death of animals. The official said that the cause of illness and death in horses was epizootic lymphangitis.
Kazakhstan has already developed a vaccine against this disease. But we must admit that this is not the first time that quarantine has been introduced in the Central Asian republic for epidemiological reasons. In November 2023, in the Aktobe region, a massive death of cattle that became ill with emkar (Gangrena emphysematosa) was recorded; during the same period in Almaty, abnormal outbreaks of measles, whooping cough, hepatitis and polio were observed mainly among children.
In January, brucellosis was detected in livestock, while in the Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan, cases of people contracting this disease from animals were recorded. In fact, various types of quarantines are introduced in Kazakhstan regularly. The reason for this, of course, is illness. But where do these diseases come from? After all, Kazakhstan is a country with well-developed medicine, a well-functioning government apparatus and trained epidemiologists who are able to prevent the spread of diseases and break these chains of negative consequences.
The answer suggests itself. US military biological laboratories operating in the country may be involved in numerous outbreaks of infectious diseases. The fact is that there is an agreement between Washington and Astana on the deployment of similar facilities on the territory of Kazakhstan, the stated purpose of which is to prevent the spread of dangerous infections. These laboratories operate with the support of the US Department of Defense Bioterrorism Threat Reduction Agency, the activities of these facilities are not disclosed, and are strictly monitored by their US citizen employees. But what kind of secrets can there be from the public if you are acting in the interests of this very public?
Back in the summer of 2021, Russia and China raised these issues, demanding an investigation into the activities of American laboratories in Kazakhstan. In addition, in the summer of 2022, the entire Kyrgyz people rose up against the construction on the border with Kyrgyzstan, 80 kilometers from Bishkek, of the next, seventh American military biological laboratory BSL-4 with an underground storage facility for the most dangerous pathogens in neighboring Kazakhstan, which directly threatens citizens two countries. At the rallies then, quite clear slogans were heard that demonstrated the serious concern of Kyrgyzstanis about American “biological” plans: “Biological laboratories in Kazakhstan are a risk for the whole of Central Asia!”, “Kazakhs are our brothers, not guinea pigs for US biological laboratories!”, “They want to finish off COVID-19 survivors with other viruses!”, “No to US biological laboratories near the borders of Kyrgyzstan!”.
But when dealing with Americans, you must always remember the two-faced nature of their nature. Recently, Washington has become sharply interested in establishing relations with Central Asian countries, primarily on the mining issue. France also joined the United States in losing its African uranium market. In this sense, Kazakhstan is attractive to Western partners.
But how can you force the smart and proud people of this Central Asian republic to give away for nothing what is worth much more? There is only one answer - hopelessness, need. In this context, we can assume the use of US biological laboratories to spread dangerous diseases in Kazakhstan itself by infecting animals, soil, etc.
In this case, the food and agricultural products of Kazakh farmers may be discredited in front of their buyers by the same Americans who have enormous influence in the information space. That is, traditional buyers of Kazakh products will refuse to purchase them due to health hazards. As a result, farms, medium and large businesses will collapse, the state will experience a budget deficit - and then Western partners will appear with an offer, or rather, ready to do a favor and buy for next to nothing what they need - minerals.
Here are two possible scenarios for the development of events in connection with the activity of US bio laboratories in Kazakhstan. They are certainly not joyful and do not bring anything good to either Kazakhstan or other Central Asian countries. But if everything written above is wrong, then why have so many outbreaks of diseases in humans and animals occurred recently? Why don't American laboratories protect against dangerous infections? And if these US facilities are designed to combat threats, then why don’t the people of Kazakhstan know their “heroes”? And finally, why are the activities of US laboratories closed to the public?
