Attacking ‘terrorists’ killed by police

BEIJING — Chinese police killed eight “terrorists” who attacked with machetes and drove cars that carried explosive gas cylinders they detonated as bombs in the restive western Xinjiang region, state media said.

Three other assailants died when explosives they were carrying blew up in the attack, according to the Tianshan news portal, which is run by the regional branch of the Communist Party.

It was the latest in a series of attacks pointing to growing unrest in the region. Xinjiang is home to a simmering rebellion against Chinese rule among parts of the native Turkic Uighur population who want more autonomy from Beijing. Recent clashes, including an attack on police last month, have left dozens of people dead.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the assailants rode motorbikes and drove cars that carried liquefied natural gas cylinders intended to use as suicide bombs.

They attacked a team of police who had gathered at the gate of a park for a routine patrol in Wushi, Xinhua said, calling the assailants “terrorists.”

The Chinese government typically calls such incidents terrorist attacks linked to radicals based overseas. Activists say despair over economic and social discrimination and cultural and religious restrictions are fuelling anger among Uighurs.