Five killed in knife attack, 3 shot dead by cops in China’s Xinjiang

BEIJING: At least five people were killed by three attackers before they were shot dead by police in Xinjiang, the latest outbreak of violence in the restive region of northwestern China.

According to information from the local government, three men armed with swords rushed into a housing complex in Pishan county and attacked residents on Tuesday. At least 10 more people were injured. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Neither the victims nor the attackers have been identified by authorities.

But the government usually blames violence and rioting in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) on extremists and separatists from the Uyghur community.

Authorities also often blame violence on separatist forces that they say are trained outside China. Uyghur groups based abroad say the violence is a reaction to harsh government policies, which they claim have gradually alienated large sections of the community.

They claim government policies are aimed at negating Uyghur identity and culture, besides being anti-Islam.

Dolkun Isa, a Germany-based Uyghur activist – who is wanted in China for alleged acts of terror – told Hindustan Times on Wednesday that several young men from the community were arrested after Tuesday night’s incident.

Isa said the Chinese army had been mobilised following the violence. The attack, he said, was a “reaction against the recent repression by the Chinese authority”.

Isa said thousands of mosques had been destroyed in the region, particularly in Hotan, Kashgar and Aksu, since October 2016.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesperson of the World Uyghur Congress, said people in the region were resorting to radical protests because there is no avenue for peaceful protests.