MOSCOW - The plane of Kyrgyzstan`s President Askar Akayev landed Thursday in neighboring Kazakhstan, the Interfax news agency reported, amid conflicting reports on the whereabouts of the Central Asian nation`s veteran leader.
The news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying that Akayev`s plane had landed near Kazakhstan`s main commercial city of Almaty.
The whereabouts of 60-year-old Akayev -- who has ruled this normally sleepy mountainous nation since 1990 and is considered the most liberal ruler in ex-Soviet Central Asia -- had been unknown since thousands of opposition supporters armed with rocks and clubs took over Kyrgyzstan`s main seat of power.
Previous reports said he left for Russia while his family fled to Kazakhstan.
03/24/2005 15:35 GMT