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Local police in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region captured the last of the rioters responsible for a series of terrorist attacks in Lukqun Township in Shanshan County， Turpan Prefecture， on June 26.
Authorities announced the capture of Yiblayan Eli on June 30.
The 17-member gang was led by a man named Ahmatniyaz Sidiq， who had been organizing religious extremist activities since February and listening to audio material that incited violent terrorist activities. Since mid-June， the group had raised funds， purchased knives and gasoline and researched sites to prepare for the attack， the police statement said.
Fearing their plot might be revealed after one of the gangsters was arrested on June 25， on the following morning， 16 rioters attacked the township’s police stations， a local government building， a construction site， a private store and a hair salon. They also set fire to police cars.
A total of 24 people， including two police officers， were killed by the knife-wielding rioters. Among the victims， 16 were ethnic Uygurs. Twenty-one police officers and civilians were also injured in the attacks.
The police shot and killed 11 rioters and injured another four. Only Yiblayan Eli had escaped capture on the day of the attacks.
“This is another typical terrorist attack in Xinjiang，” said Li Wei， Director of the Institute of Security and Arms Control Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. “Such terrorist attacks that happened in Xinjiang are closely related to separatist forces abroad.”
The recent attacks show terrorists are becoming more aggressive， as they are targeting police stations and government buildings， said Pan Zhiping， a research fellow at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.
Pan said that separatist forces use religious extremism to brainwash people into carrying out terrorist attacks.
Hard strikes
Just two days after the attack in Turpan， more than 100 people riding motorcycles and wielding knives attacked a local police station in Moyu County， Hotan in south Xinjiang， on June 28.
On the same day， some 200 people gathered at a major shopping area in Hotan in an attempt to stir up trouble. Local police brought the situation under control.
Authorities have quickly denounced the attacks as terrorist activities and beefed up security in these areas. In recent years， Xinjiang， home to about 9 million Uygurs， has witnessed a number of terrorist attacks. The most deadly one was the July 5 riot in the regional capital of Urumqi in 2009， which left 197 people dead and more than 1，600 injured.
On April 23， a clash happened between armed attackers and authorities in Selibuya Township in Bachu County， south Xinjiang’s Kashgar Prefecture， located some 1，200 km southwest of Urumqi， in which 15 community workers and police officers and six attackers were killed.
Police said that 25 suspects carried out the attack and were planning a bigger attack in Kashgar in south Xinjiang. They found 20 explosive devices， a large amount of bomb-making equipment， knives， combat-training material and illegal extremist religious pamphlets.
In the wake of recent rising terrorist attacks， authorities have pledged to crack down on terrorism on many occasions.
On June 28， President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee to arrange the work of safeguarding social stability in Xinjiang and the interests of people of all ethnic groups.
The next day， Yu Zhengsheng， a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee， went to Xinjiang to oversee the work.
In a video conference with officials from across Xinjiang on June 29， Yu said that the country will impose severe punishments on those responsible for the crimes and crack down on terrorist groups and extremist organizations.
He also urged the region to ensure stability. Maintaining social stability was the work of grassroots organizations， which would have to be more effective to prevent acts of terror， Yu added.
At an anti-terror rally by armed police in Xinjiang on the same day， State Councilor Meng Jianzhu called for 24-hour patrols to guarantee the safety of local residents.
Meng also asked armed police to take precautionary and preemptive measures to strike at terrorism.
Xinjiang police issued a notice on July 2 offering rewards of 50，000 （$8，145） yuan to 100，000 yuan （$16，290） for tips that help solve criminal cases involving violence or terrorism.
It also released a wanted list of 11 suspects， encouraging residents to provide information. Three of those on the list are accused of making explosives for a foiled plot to attack government buildings and police on May 26. Two others on the wanted list are suspected of killing two security guards in Hotan as well as several construction workers in June.
Police have also detained more than 20 people for making up and spreading false rumors via text messages and the Internet.
Back in May， a month after the April 23 terrorist attack in Bachu， Zhang Chunxian， Party Secretary of Xinjiang， wrote in an article for Qiushi， the Party’s flagship magazine， that over the past three years the authorities have foiled more than 96 percent of planned separatist and terrorist attacks.
Stressing stability
On June 29， a commentary published by the CPC’s flagship newspaper People’s Daily said that the violent attacks have become an overt provocation to the safety of people’s lives and the country’s unity and threats to people’s fundamental interests， as well as the stability of Xinjiang.
“The violent terrorist incidents cannot stop the progress of Xinjiang’s reform and construction， or sway people’s determination and confidence in promoting development and maintaining stability，” the commentary reads.“This tragedy will let more people make a clear distinction between right and wrong and unite the people to consolidate Xinjiang’s development momentum and social stability.”
In 2010， China launched a 10-year program to develop its western areas， and major eastern and central cities have stepped up aid to Xinjiang to help it develop economically.
In 2012， Xinjiang’s GDP rose to 750 billion yuan （$120 billion） from 428 billion yuan （$69 billion） in 2009， according to official statistics.
Kurbanjiang Mehmet， 50， runs a clothing shop at Kashgar’s Grand Bazaar. “We really hope more people would come to Kashgar， but the tension in Xinjiang scared away many tourists， who think Xinjiang is a dangerous place，” he said. “But it is not the truth.”
“We business people definitely hope Xinjiang’s image as a peaceful and stable region can recover soon and tourists have more confidence in this wonderful land，” Mehmet said.
Abdoulie Aygul， a silk merchant from Urumqi， attended the Ninth Mid-South Asia Trade Fair in Kashgar on June 28. “Xinjiang is not as dangerous as many people from other places think，” she said. “But I heard some people canceled trips here because of the so-called potential risks. It is unnecessary.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Huang Wenfang， an official with the Information Office of the Xinjiang Regional Government， said that tightened security measures in Urumqi make her feel very safe and well-protected.“Terrorists did disrupt Xinjiang’s stability， in a way，” Huang said. “False rumors spread on the Internet about how terrible the situation is here. This is unfair for Xinjiang.” Int’l cooperation
The so-called “East Turkestan” forces that represent the “three forces” of terrorism， separatism and extremism have resulted in multiple terrorist attacks in Xinjiang in recent years， Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing in Beijing on July 1.
The “East Turkestan” forces are linked to other international terrorist organizations， which have posed threats not only to China， but to the peace and stability of other countries in the region， Hua said.
“East Turkestan” separatists and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement（ETIM）， listed by the UN as a terrorist group， have been connected with Al Qaeda since their establishment and share supplies with them.
According to Pan with the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences， in addition to terrorist attacks carried out in Xinjiang， “East Turkestan” separatists also joined terrorist acts in Chechnya in Russia， Afghanistan and Syria.
It was reported last October that“East Turkestan” terrorist forces， as represented by the ETIM， had joined the fight in war-torn Syria.
“However， the West has been holding a double standard on the definition of terrorism. If the ‘East Turkestan’ separatists carry out evil deeds in Xinjiang， some Western opinions whitewash them as seeking ‘national self-determination.’Only when their acts threaten their domestic security would Western countries change their attitudes，”Pan said.
After the June 26 attack in Xinjiang， EU Ambassador to China Markus Ederer said on July 1 that the EU believes“It is necessary to address the underlying causes of ethnic tensions in order to achieve lasting stability and prosperity.”
Earlier， U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell also criticized China’s ethnic and religious policies， saying that the United States remained “deeply concerned” by the ongoing reports of discrimination and restrictions against Uygurs and Muslims in China.
“Terrorism is not only the enemy of the people of Xinjiang and China， but also the common enemy of human beings，” Hua said on July 2.
The spokeswoman warned that it will harm the interests of oneself and others if one takes a double standard or adopts an indulgent policy on the issue.
Any responsible government would never condone such actions， instead， it would take resolute measures to protect the lives and property of its people and safeguard national stability， she said.
Ramesh Chopra， a senior Indian critic of strategic issues， said the terror attacks that occurred in Xinjiang， similar to those in other countries， were manipulated by international extremist forces. The international community and every government should not give in to or connive with terrorists， he said， adding that they should strengthen cooperation to crack down on terrorism.
China has conducted anti-terror cooperation and exchanges and launched more than 10 such training sessions and drills with neighboring countries under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO）.
The SCO， established on June 15， 2001， comprises China， Russia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It originated and grew from the Shanghai Five mechanism， founded in 1996 by China， Russia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with the aim of strengthening confidence， carrying out disarmament in their border areas and promoting regional cooperation.
On June 29， two pacts on anti-terror cooperation among SCO members were ratified at the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， China’s top legislature.
One pact is on the procedures of organizing joint anti-terrorism drills among SCO members. The other is on the procedures of carrying out joint anti-terrorism actions in the territory of SCO members.
The activities of terrorists， separatists and extremists have been active in this region while drug trafficking from Afghanistan has increased and cross-border crimes happened from time to time， Yang Huanning， Vice Minister of Public Security， told lawmakers during the legislative session.
“The attacks in Xinjiang were launched by a tiny faction of extremists and separatists. It is not a religious or ethnic issue and this problem exists in many other countries around the world as well，” said La Disheng， a professor at the Party School of Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China. “I believe with the firm hand of the government and cooperation with neighboring countries， this situation will be under control soon.”
（With Yuan Yuan reporting from Urumqi and Kashgar）