A terrorist camp in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been
destroyed and 18 terrorists killed by police, a spokeswoman with
the Xinjiang Public Security Department said on Monday.
One policeman was killed and another wounded in the gun battle
on Friday in the mountains of Pamirs plateau in south Xinjiang,
said spokeswoman Ba Yan.
The police captured 17 terrorists and are pursuing a number of
others, added the spokeswoman.? They also seized 22 hand
grenades and over 1,500 others the terrorists were manufacturing as
well as guns and home-made explosives.
The police found the terrorists operated several mines near the
camp to raise funds, Ba said.
Song Hongli, head of the general office of the Xinjiang Public
Security Department, said local police would publicize developments
in their pursuit of the remaining terrorists.
The training camp was run by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
(ETIM). The group was labeled a terrorist organization by the
United Nations in 2002, said Ba. It's believed more than 1,000 ETIM
members have been trained by al-Qaeda.
Former head of the terrorist group, Hasan Mahsum, was shot dead
by Pakistani troops in October 2003 in a joint anti-terror
operation along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hasan Mahsum had been accused of involvement in a series of
violent terrorist activities in recent years. These include robbery
and murder in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang and murders in Xinjiang's
Hotan region. His alleged activities have caused heavy loss of life
and property.
(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)
