Kazakhstan: Russia-led alliance's troops prepare to pull out
By DASHA LITVINOVA MOSCOW (AP) — Troops belonging to a Russia-led security alliance were preparing to pull out of Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The withdrawal comes a week after they were deployed to the ex-Soviet nation on the request of its president, who was seeking to quell violent mass protests. The demonstrations started on Jan. 2 in western Kazakhstan following widespread