2008 Kashgar attack

Infobox terrorist attack
title=4 August 2008 Kashgar attack

---

caption=Kashgar is located in the northeast part of Kashgar Prefecture.
location=near Kashgar, Xinjiang,
CHN
target=Policemen
date=August 4, 2008
time-begin=0800 (0000 GMT)
time-end=
timezone=
type=Vehicular, IED and knife attack against police
fatalities=16
injuries=16
susperps=East Turkestan Islamic Movement
perps=Two Uyghur menThe 2008 Kashgar attack was a violent assault perpetrated by two men on the morning of August 4 2008, who attacked a group of police officers while they were jogging near the western city of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, resulting in the death of sixteen officers.

Background

The Uyghurs are the largest ethnic group in ethnically diverse Xinjiang, making up just over 45% of the population. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International allege that many Uyghurs have been persecuted, imprisoned, or moved abroad as a consequence of the Chinese army presence. [cite web | url = http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/regions/asia-pacific/china | title = Amnesty International Report 2008 | accessdate = 2008-08-05 | publisher = Amnesty International] [cite press release | url = http://chinaaid.org/2008/03/13/state-department-report-highlights-human-rights-abuses-against-uyghurs/ | publisher = China Aid Association | date = 2008-03-12 | title = State Department report highlights human rights abuses against Uyghurs | accessdate = 2008-08-09] The Uyghur movement's occasional use of militant separatism has resulted in it being described as a potentially dangerous movement. [cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7540636.stm | title = Q&A: China and the Uighurs | date = 2008-08-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-05 | publisher = BBC | work = BBC News] In particular, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a proscribed terrorist organisation according to classification by the United Nations. Among other incidents, East Turkestan independence movement organisations have claimed responsibility for the 2008 Kunming bus bombings; however, China denied that the group was responsible.cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7542167.stm | title = China confident of safe Olympics | date = 2008-08-05 | accessdate = 2008-08-05 | publisher = BBC | work = BBC News] The Uyghur Human Rights project alleges that China often exaggerates these threats to justify repression of the Uyghur people. [cite press release | url = http://www.uhrp.org/articles/1201/1/Rebiya-Kadeer-expresses-her-wish-for-a-peaceful-Beijing-Olympics-and-urges-Beijing-to-cease-its-harsh-repression-of-Uyghurs-/index.html | publisher = Uyghur Human Rights Project | date = 2008-07-18 | title = Rebiya Kadeer expresses her wish for a peaceful Beijing Olympics, and urges Beijing to cease its harsh repression of Uyghurs | accessdate = 2008-08-09]

Details

Two attackers were involved in the incident near the western city of Kashgar. The Xinhua News Agency said the attack happened at about 08:00 (00:00 GMT). One of the men drove a dump truck into a group of border patrol police officers as they were jogging on a street. The attacker then got out of the truck and start attacking other officers with homemade explosives. The explosives went off prematurely and blew off one of his arms. The other attacker threw improvised explosive devices at a nearby police office. He then went into the building with a knife, but was subdued by police officers inside the complex. Both perpetrators were captured during the raid. Fourteen policemen died at the scene and two died on the way to hospital; another 16 policemen were hurt, Xinhua state news agency reported. [cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7540138.stm | title = Chinese border assault kills 16 | date = 2008-08-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | publisher = BBC | work = BBC News] The attackers were later identified as males, taxi driver Kurbanjan Hemit, 28, and vegetable vendor Abdurahman Azat, 33. [ [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1829791,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics Jihad in China's Far West - TIME] ] They are members of the Uyghur ethnic group, and it was suspected that the attack was a terrorist action by Eastern Turkistan separatists. [cite news | url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/04/content_8953646.htm | title = Terrorist plot suspected in violent attack on police in west China's Xinjiang | work = chinaview.cn | publisher = Xinhua News Agency | date = 2008-08-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-04]

The news agency Xinhua claimed in their English-language version that the incident was a terrorist attack; on the other side, in their Chinese language version, the incident was only labeled as a violent crime. [cite news | url = http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWA1HpopOpWg&refer=home | title = Xinjiang Border Patrol Attacked, 16 Dead, Xinhua Says | last = Avery | first = Nerys | publisher = Bloomberg L.P. | work = Bloomberg.com | date = 2008-08-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-09] Police investigators later claimed that they had found documents calling for a holy war, a homemade firearm, and nine explosives. [cite news | url = http://www.mpinews.com/htm/INews/20080805/ca21800c.htm | title = 喀什恐怖襲擊部署一個月 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | date = 2008-08-05 | language = Chinese | work = MPI News | publisher = Ming Pao] Furthermore, the police claimed that the design of these explosives was very similar to the explosives made by the ETIM when Chinese police raided their training facility in January 2007. [cite news | url = http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/08/05/china.html?ref=rss | title = China tightens security following deadly attack | work = Associated Press/CBC.ca | publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date = 2008-08-05 | accessdate = 2008-08-05] Xinjiang's regional public security department also claimed that it had received intelligence that the East Turkestan independence movement planned to carry out terrorist attacks during the week before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games. This incident happened four days before the Beijing Olympics, after repeated warnings in recent months from the Chinese government that militants from the restive Xinjiang region were planning to stage attacks to disrupt the Games. [cite news | url = http://www.france24.com/en/20080804-attack-xinjiang--policemen-china-killed-olympic-games&navi=MONDE | title = At least 16 policemen reportedly killed in bomb attack | accessdate = 2008-08-05 | date = 2008-08-04 | first = Caroline | last = Delabroye | coauthors = Le Belzic, Sébastien | publisher = France 24]

In September 2008, the New York Times reported that three tourists who witnessed the events disputed central details of the official story. According to the eyewitnesses, no explosions were heard and the attackers appeared to be machete-wielding police officers attacking other uniformed men. [Citation
last = Wong
first = Edward
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Doubt arises in account of an attack in China
newspaper = International Herald Tribune
pages =
year = 2008
date = 2008-09-29
url = http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/29/asia/29kashgar.php?page=1
accessdate = 2008-09-29]

Reactions

The exiled Uyghur Muslims leader and human rights activist Rebiya Kadeer condemned the reported attack and stated that "China is using the 2008 Olympics as an opportunity to further demonise the Uighur people's legitimate and peaceful struggle and justify its heavy-handed repression in the region." The Chinese government reacted with a clampdown in Kashgar and Xinjiang, increasing security checks and restricting independent news coverage. [cite news | url = http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h862s2FKSh64WGrxRE3Is-uV_8eQ | title = Clampdown in China Muslim region after bloody attack on police | work = AFP | publisher = Google News | date = 2008-08-04 | accessdate = 2008-08-07] [cite news | url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jf4L5ib03dPJ1ov5Vv6jQTQqmMFAD92C96600 | title = China tries to shrug off deadly attack | work = Associated Press | publisher = Google News | date = 2008-08-06 | accessdate = 2008-08-07 | first = William | last = Foreman] [cite news | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Olympics-Tensions-Rise-In-Chinas-Xinjiang-Province-After-Terror-Attack-In-Kashgar/Article/200808115069444?lpos=World%2BNews_6&lid=ARTICLE_15069444_Olympics%253A%2BTensions%2BRise%2BIn%2BChina%2527s%2BXinjiang%2BProvince%252C%2BAfter%2B%2527Terror%2BAttack%2527%2BIn%2BKashgar | title = Olympics: Clampdown After Attack | work = Sky News | publisher = BSkyB | last = Sharp | first = Peter | date = 2008-08-05 | accessdate = 2008-08-07]

Detention of media

On the night of August 4, a "Tokyo Shimbun" cameraman and a Japanese TV reporter, along with two Hong Kong media reporters making reports near the police post were detained by People's Armed Police. The two Hong Kong reporters were not harmed; however, the Japanese reporters were beaten and punched. All four were released after two hours of detainment. [cite news | url = http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080805-00000020-jij-int | title = 取材中の邦人記者2人に暴行＝武装警察がおわび－中国・新疆テロ事件 | language = Japanese | date = 2008-08-05 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | work = Yahoo! Japan | publisher = SoftBank] The Japanese government protests the Chinese actions, although it has made no formal statement as there was no confirmation. [cite news | url = http://www.mpinews.com/htm/INews/20080805/ca21239a.htm | title = 日本不滿武警毆打日記者 | accessdate = 2008-08-09 | date = 2008-08-05 | language = Chinese | work = MPI News | publisher = Ming Pao] Chinese officials and police in Kashgar have apologised for the incident, but accused the two men of breaking rules.

ee also

* 2008 Uyghur unrest
* 2008 Summer Olympics

References