Now what was all that talk about no terrorism in China? The Jawa Report has been warning readers of the low-level Islamist insurgency in China's western Xinjiang province for some time. Called East Turkistan by its own people, Islamic militants in the area have ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and are working to oust the communist Han Chinese and restore the brief lived Islamic Republic of East Turkistan--an Islamist state that predates Iran by over forty years.

In fact, after China's Strike Hard campaign of the early 1990s, aimed at wiping out the Islamic insurgency, many jihadi leaders fled to a neighboring country where they found safe haven and a network of like minded individuals willing and eager to supply them with arms and cash. Can you guess which country the fled to? Drumroll please.........

Afghanistan.

Khaleej Times:

The United States has warned American travellers to be vigilant against a terrorist attack in ChinaÂ’s restive northwestern region of Xinjiang after Beijing told police there to be prepared for danger.

The call came ahead of the 50th anniversary on Saturday of the establishment of Xinjiang as an autonomous region.

Muslim Uighur militants, whom Beijing calls terrorists or separatists, have been struggling for decades to make the remote region, formally established on Oct. 1, 1955, an independent state called East Turkestan.

“Americans considering travel to the region and those already there should review their plans carefully, remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and exercise caution,” a message e-mailed from the US embassy in China said.

“Terrorists do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Americans in remote areas or border regions where military or police authority is limited or non-existent could also become targets.” ...

The Public Security Ministry said earlier this month that more than 260 terrorist acts had been committed in Xinjiang in the past two decades, killing 160 and wounding 440. It labelled East Turkestan forces the main terrorist threat to China.

And, of course, Islam Online blames Chinese oppression on the troubles. So the Chinese fascists are oppressing the Islamist fascists? Talk about your Sophie's choice scenario.....

For related info see Jihad in China and Suicide Bomber Blows Up Bus in China: Government Covers Up

Posted by: Rusty at 04:24 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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Is China a natural ally in the war on terror? Yes. An Islamist insurgency is raging in China. China, though, has generally suppressed any news of this insurgency. Official statistics put the death toll at 160 over the past 10 years in at least 260 seperate incidents, but the count is probably higher than that. Much higher.

Last month we brought you word of a suicide bomber blowing up a bus in China (images and story here). While that act of terrorism was probably unrelated to the jihad being waged against Beijing, it did spur me to look into the matter. Days after the bombing, an old video was posted at a forum I frequent made by terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda who operate in China's East Turkistan (known as Xinjiang in Chinese) region. The video was apparently produced in Afghanistan, which borders East Turkistan, and was a call to arms against the Communist regime. The video was almost identical to a number of al Qaeda videos made around the same time.

This website, run by the 'East Turkistan Information Center', is a good source of information, but may have ties to the East Turkistan Liberation Organization. It is noteworthy that East Turkistan may have been the original Islamic state. The Islamic Republic of East Turkistan was establlished in 1933 and survived only three years. But this Islamic Republic was established 45 years before a similar state was established in Iran.

Today, China ran a rare story about it's internal problems with radical Islamists. Xinhua:

The "East Turkistan" terrorist forces remain to be the great terrorist threat to China at presentand in future, a Chinese anti-terrorist official said here Monday.

"In the last decade, the terrorist threats that China confronted with were mainly terrorist activities of 'East Turkistan' terrorist forces inside and outside Chinese territory, international terrorist groups and terrorists," said Zhao Yongchen, deputy director of the Anti-Terrorism Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.

"The terrorist activities carried out by the three terrorist forces have not only jeopardized China, but also posed a threat toregional security and stability," Zhao said.

On March 27, 2003, the East Turkistan Liberation Organization hijacked a passenger bus of a Xinjiang company, killed all the 21 passengers and the driver and set the bus on fire with the bodies inside it.

The three terrorist forces openly summon the extremists inside China to carry out terrorist activities aiming at kindergartens, schools and government, or attack Chinese armed forces and government agencies, with means of explosives and poison.

The forces, he said, have also become part of the international terrorist forces. "They have close ties and even align with terrorist groups including the Taliban, the Uzbekistan Islamic Liberation Movement and Al Qaeda."

According to Zhao, many members of the "East Turkistan" forces have received military training in terrorist bases in central and south Asia and directly have taken part in terrorist activities sponsored by owners of the bases.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:28 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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