Kazakh officials say alleged members of three militant Islamist groups have been apprehended in the western part of the country.

The Committee for National Security (KNB) said on August 31 that authorities have detained 10 suspects in the Western Kazakhstan region and 11 suspects in the northwestern region of Aqtobe.

The committee said the suspects were brought into custody after investigators found guns, explosives, and ammunition in their homes.

According to the KNB, the detained men were planning a series of terrorist attacks against civilians and law-enforcement officials across the two regions.

In June, a group of 25 alleged Islamic militants carried out a series of attacks that killed five civilians and three members of Kazakhstan's security forces in the city of Aqtobe, the capital of the Aqtobe region.

Security forces who confronted the group killed 18 gunmen and arrested seven men who are awaiting trial on terrorism charges. 

Based on reporting by KazTAG and Kazinform