Uygur abductors headed for overseas terror training
Fifteen Uygur men who were branded as "terrorists" after they took two herdsmen hostage in the restive Xinjiang autonomous region this week had been trying to sneak out of China for jihad training through a county that bordered Pakistan and India, but got lost on the way, the Xinjiang government said yesterday.
Regional government spokesman Hou Hanmin said the 15 Uygurs lost their way in Pishan, which borders the Kashmir region, while trying to cross into neighbouring countries to receive terrorist training.
They forced two local herdsmen who were looking for their lost sheep to lead the way, but the pair managed to escape and contact police, leading to a police operation on Wednesday.
Police shot dead seven of the kidnappers, while a police officer was hacked to death.
Hou declined to disclose where the Uygurs had come from or which terror group they belonged to, saying only an investigation was continuing.
Officials have warned of a growing trend of terrorists sneaking back into China after training in South and Central Asia. In May, deputy public security minister Meng Hongwei said it was "highly likely" that terrorists of the East Turkestan Independence Movement were entering China through border areas.
Li Wei , director of the Centre for Counterterrorism Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said some terrorists inside China were operating under a loose structure and wanted to get more systematic training overseas. "The East Turkestan movement overseas is more organised, and influences terrorists inside China," Li said. He urged the authorities to strengthen intelligence exchanges with neighbouring states.
Wang Xinjian , an anti-terrorism expert at the Chinese People's Public Security University, said terrorists were more wary of crackdowns these days and had improved their surveillance. "They are more alert about confidentiality nowadays. They have learned from the experience of other terror groups, such as al-Qaeda, and made their operations more secretive," he said.
Southern Xinjiang has been plagued by ethnic unrest. In July, a mob attacked a Hotan police station, leaving 18 people dead.
Source http://topics.scmp.com/news/china-news-watch/article/Uygur-abductors-headed-for-overseas-terror-training
Regional government spokesman Hou Hanmin said the 15 Uygurs lost their way in Pishan, which borders the Kashmir region, while trying to cross into neighbouring countries to receive terrorist training.
They forced two local herdsmen who were looking for their lost sheep to lead the way, but the pair managed to escape and contact police, leading to a police operation on Wednesday.
Police shot dead seven of the kidnappers, while a police officer was hacked to death.
Hou declined to disclose where the Uygurs had come from or which terror group they belonged to, saying only an investigation was continuing.
Officials have warned of a growing trend of terrorists sneaking back into China after training in South and Central Asia. In May, deputy public security minister Meng Hongwei said it was "highly likely" that terrorists of the East Turkestan Independence Movement were entering China through border areas.
Li Wei , director of the Centre for Counterterrorism Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said some terrorists inside China were operating under a loose structure and wanted to get more systematic training overseas. "The East Turkestan movement overseas is more organised, and influences terrorists inside China," Li said. He urged the authorities to strengthen intelligence exchanges with neighbouring states.
Wang Xinjian , an anti-terrorism expert at the Chinese People's Public Security University, said terrorists were more wary of crackdowns these days and had improved their surveillance. "They are more alert about confidentiality nowadays. They have learned from the experience of other terror groups, such as al-Qaeda, and made their operations more secretive," he said.
Southern Xinjiang has been plagued by ethnic unrest. In July, a mob attacked a Hotan police station, leaving 18 people dead.
Source http://topics.scmp.com/news/china-news-watch/article/Uygur-abductors-headed-for-overseas-terror-training
Comments