Seven terrorist cells have been uncovered and destroyed in just four months in one of the country's most remote border regions. Zhang Jian, Party Secretary of Kashi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the terrorists were caught in the city of Kashi, which shares a border with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The local Uyghurs share linguistic and ethnic ties with citizens in neighboring countries.
In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Zhang said the arrests carried out in the first four months of this year had led to stability in the city, but he gave no further details. "As the matter of fact, the crimine rate in Kashi is among the lowest in China, but its criminal activity has enormous worldwide implications," he said.
His comments follow the April 9 execution of two men who attempted to sabotage the Olympic Games with a fatal attack on local border police. On August 4 last year, the Uygur men armed with guns, knives, axes and explosives attacked the police, killing 17 and injuring 15.
The border city of Kashi has long been a launching ground for terrorists, with 350 attacks resulting in 60 deaths of government officials and civilians since the 1990s. Zhang said there were 11 riots calling for separation since the founding of China. Four were suppressed by military force.
In 2008, 23 military police and police officers were killed in the battle against terrorism, Zhang said. Meanwhile, 591 terrorist organizations and separatist groups had been destroyed across the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between 1990 and 2003, according to incomplete statistics from the Xinjiang Politics and Law Committee. (China Daily/China.org.cn)
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