Central Asian Kyrgyzstan has warned its citizens not to take part in foreign conflicts, amid some social media calls in the majority-Muslim country for men to go fight against Israel, AFP reports.

Kyrgyzstan — a mountainous country of seven million people — has authorised protests in support of Palestinians following Israeli bombardment of Gaza after the surprise attack by Hamas on oct 7.

But its powerful GKNB security service said in a statement: “Against the backdrop of the Palestine-Israel armed conflict, there are some provocative posts, publications and comments from individual social media users about the need to commit jihad in Palestine.”

It warned of “criminal responsibility” for Kyrgyz citizens fighting in conflicts on foreign territory or undergoing “terrorist preparation”.