Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev has signed an order establishing a commission to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The move follows an emergency in Mangystau where servicemen died during a training and combat exercise, infohub.kz reports.

"By order of the head of state, a Commission has been established to conduct a comprehensive audit of the state of affairs in the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the Akorda Telegram channel said. The full text of the document has been published on the official Akorda website.

The order states that the audit is being conducted to comprehensively analyze the state of affairs in the defense agency, including in the area of financial and logistical support for military units.

Aida Galymovna Balaeva, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has been appointed chair of the commission. Alikhan Askhanovich Smailov, Chair of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was named her deputy.

The commission includes: Yerzhan Nurlanovich Zhiyenbayev, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Zhanat Kaldybekovich Elimanov, Chair of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Financial Monitoring; Murat Kalibekovich Baimukashev, Head of the Security Council Staff of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Madi Tokeshovich Takiyev, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Zhandos Zhanibekovich Umiraliyev, First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Ali Sapargaliyevich Altynbayev, First Deputy Chair of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan; and Azamat Kemengerovich Amrin, First Vice Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

According to the document, the commission has been instructed to report its first results within seven days. The order takes effect on the day of its signing.

Recall that on September 24, during a training and combat exercise, 17 servicemen were swept into the Caspian Sea due to a sudden and sharp deterioration in weather conditions and gusty winds; 14 of them died. Three were rescued and one was hospitalized.

The day before, the regional health department reported that the patient had been taken to the Mangystau Regional Multidisciplinary Hospital. The serviceman's condition was assessed as stable but serious.

Today, a farewell ceremony for the fallen servicemen was held in Mangystau.