Photo from akorda.kz
Kazakhstan's State Security Service (SSS) will be able to use weapons and military equipment without warning in areas where anti-terrorist operations are conducted. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the corresponding amendments, the press service of the Akorda reports.
The document introduces changes to the law «On the State Security Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan,» expanding the powers of the agency. In particular, it broadens the list of grounds for using combat weapons. SSS officers can now use them to disarm individuals who illegally store or carry weapons, ammunition, explosives, or potent chemical and toxic substances.
Previously, the SSS could use combat weapons only to repel attacks on protected sites and vehicles. The law now explicitly grants it the right to free protected vehicles and transport in the event of a hijacking.
The new provisions also allow state security personnel to use any available means to defend themselves or detain an offender when they do not have the necessary weapons or special equipment on hand.
The law additionally introduces articles on the use of service animals. These cover dogs and horses «used to prevent, detect, and suppress offenses against protected persons and objects, identify perpetrators, while on combat duty, inspecting transport, surveying terrain, and for physical, psychological, or blocking influence on violators, as well as for performing other official tasks."
This is the second time in the past year that Tokayev has expanded the powers of the State Security Service.
In September 2025, he granted the body new functions in the field of national security. The agency then received authority to coordinate actions with other law enforcement agencies in crisis situations, take part in mobilization preparedness, and strengthen the protection of top state officials and strategic facilities.
