People of various ethnic groups have contributed to the January
raid on a terrorist training camp in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in which 18
terrorists were killed and 17 others captured, a lawmaker said on
Tuesday.
The local residents provided clues linking to the terrorists and
volunteered to help the police pursue a number of others after the
gun battle on Jan. 5, said Mutuola Musha, who is in Beijing
attending the annual session of the 10th National People's
Congress, the top legislature.
Fifth-eight-year-old Mutuola Musha, who has been a policeman in
Xinjiang for 40 years, said the police mainly target the
masterminds, hard core and criminals engaged in violent terrorist
activities, and are cautious not to infringe on the rights and
interests of the local people.
Xinjiang has been investing heavily to support the development
of areas bordering some Central Asian countries, which helped
increase the income of farmers and herdsmen. The people there have
contributed a lot in the fight against terrorism, Mutuola Musha
said.
The training camp was run by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
(ETIM), a group that the United Nations in 2002 labeled a terrorist
organization.
In the January raid, the police also seized 22 hand grenades and
more than 1,500 others the terrorists had not finished making, as
well as guns and other home-made explosives. The police found the
terrorists operate several mines near the camp to raise fund.
One policeman was killed by terrorists and another wounded in
the gun battle.
It is believed that 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 on Oct. 2, 2003, in a joint anti-terror
operation along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hasan Mahsum was accused of plotting a series of violent
terrorist activities in recent years, including robbery and
murderin Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, and murders in Xinjiang's
Hotan region, which caused heavy loss of life and property.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2007)