Terror in Xinjiang

1990

On April 5, a group of terrorists, aided and abetted by the "East Turkistan Islamic Party," created a grave terrorist incident in Barin Township, Akto County, Xinjiang. They preached a "holy war", the "elimination of pagans" and the setting up of an "East Turkistan Republic". The terrorists tried to put pressure on the government by taking ten persons hostage, demolished two cars at a traffic junction and killed six policemen. They shot at the besieged government functionaries with submachine guns and pistols, and threw explosives and hand-grenades at them.

1991

On February 28, an explosion engineered by the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization at a video theater of a bus terminal in Kuqa County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, caused the death of one person and injuries to 13 others. On the same day, the terrorists also planted a bomb at a private store in the county seat, which, fortunately, did not explode.

1992

On February 5, the terrorists blew up two buses (Buses No. 52 and No. 30) in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang, killing three people and injuring 23 others. Two other bombs – one planted at a cinema and the other in a residential building – were discovered before they could explode, and defused.

1993

On August 24, two "East Turkistan" terrorists stabbed and seriously injured Abliz Damolla, an executive committee member of the CPPCC Yecheng County Committee in Kashgar Prefecture and imam of the Great Mosque there.

From June 17 to September 5, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization was responsible for ten explosions at department stores, markets, hotels and places for cultural activities in the southern part of Xinjiang, causing two deaths and 36 injuries. Among them, the June 17 explosion at the office building of an agricultural machinery company in Kashgar demolished the building, killed two people and injured seven others. The August 1 explosion at the video theater of the Foreign Trade Company in Shache County, Kashgar Prefecture, injured 15 people, and the August 19 explosion in front of the Cultural Palace in the city of Hotan injured six people.

1995

On July 7, rioting event were plotted and roused by terrorists to break into and smash the Prefectural Party Committee, government offices and public security bureau at Hotan.

1996

On March 22, two armed and masked terrorists broke into the home of Hakimsidiq Haji, vice chairman of the Islamic Association of Xinhe County, Aksu Prefecture and assistant imam of a mosque, and shot him dead.

On April 29, a dozen armed-to-the-teeth terrorists broke into the homes of Qavul Toqa, a National Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress at Qunas Village of Alaqagha Township in Kuqa County, and three local Uygur grassroots officials, committing bloody violence by means of explosion, shooting and stabbing. The terrorists threw two bombs into Qavul Toqa's home, seriously injuring him and his wife. Avul Toqa, Qavul Toqa's younger brother, was stabbed to death with seven wounds, and his wife was first stabbed then shot to death. Anvar Qavul, Qavul Toqa's son, died of nine stab wounds and a shot to the head, and his wife died of eight stab wounds and two shots to the head. Javup Muhammatman, a village official, received serious stab wounds.

On May 12, terrorists slew Arunhan Aji, the chief mullah of Id Kah Mosque and concurrently vice chairman of the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the CPPCC.

On August 27, six terrorists in combat fatigues drove to the office building of the Jangilas Township People's Government, Yecheng County, where they cut the telephone lines and killed a deputy head of the township and a policeman on duty. Afterwards, they kidnapped three security men and one waterworks tender in a village of the same township, and later killed them in the desert 10 kilometers away.

1997

From February 5 to 8, the "East Turkistan Islamic Party of Allah" and some other terrorist organizations perpetrated the Yining Incident, a serious riot during which the terrorists shouted slogans calling for the establishment of an "Islamic Kingdom." They attacked innocent people, destroyed stores and burned and otherwise damaged cars and buses. During this incident seven innocent people were killed, more than 200 people were injured, more than 30 vehicles were damaged and two private houses were burned down. The terrorists attacked a young couple on their way home, knifing the wife to death after disfiguring her and severely injuring the husband. A staff member of a township cultural station was stabbed to death and then thrown into a fire.

On February 25, directing its terrorist activities to the capital of Xinjiang again, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization blew up three buses (Buses No. 2, No. 10 and No. 44) in Urumqi. Nine people died and 68 others were seriously injured in the incidents, among whom were people of the ethnic Uygur, Hui, Kirgiz and Han origins.

On March 23, a gang of terrorists, led by Tursun Turdi, gatecrashed into the home of Omarjan, manager of the Jinyinchuan Reclamation Area of Aksu Prefecture, killing him and his wife.

In March, "East Turkistan" terrorists opened fire at the Chinese embassy in Turkey, and attacked the Chinese consulate-general in Istanbul, burning the Chinese national flag flying there.

On June 4, four terrorists broke into the home of Muhammat Rozi Muhammat, an official of Huangdi Village of Aqik Township in Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture, and killed him with 11 stab wounds.

On July 3, the same gang stormed into the home of Turdi Niyaz, a village official of Bashereq Township in Avat County, killing him and his wife.

On November 6, a terrorist group headed by Muhammat Tursun, at the order of the "East Turkistan" organization abroad, shot and killed Yunus Sidiq Damolla, a member of the Islamic Association of China and of the Islamic Association of Xinjiang, chairman of the Islamic Association of Aksu and imam of the Mosque of Baicheng County.

1998

On January 27, terrorists shot and killed Abliz Haji, executive committee member of the CPPCC Yecheng County Committee and imam of the county's Great Mosque.

From January 30 to February 18, members of the "East Turkistan Liberation Organization" were responsible for 23 poisoning cases in Kashgar City. One innocent person died as a result, and four others suffered serious effects.

From February 22 to March 30, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization set off a succession of six explosions in Yecheng County, Kashgar Prefecture, injuring three people and causing a natural gas pipeline to explode and start a big fire.

On March 5, "East Turkistan" terrorists launched a bomb attack against the Chinese consulate-general in Istanbul.

On May 23, making over 40 chemical combustion devices in a very short time, terrorists attempted to set ablaze simultaneously in 15 places of brisk commercial activities.

From January 30 to February 18, terrorists staged 23 cases of poisoning in Kashgar, resulting in four suffering from poisoning, one person and many cattle poisoned to death.

On April 7, the same terrorist organization engineered eight explosions one after another at places such as the homes of a director of the Public Security Bureau of Yecheng County, a vice chairman of the Yecheng County Committee of the CPPCC and a deputy commissioner of Kashgar Prefecture. The explosions injured eight people.

1999

On August 23, a dozen of terrorists led by Yasin Muhammat broke into the home of Hudaberdi Tohti, political instructor of the police station of Bosikem Township in Zepu County, Kashgar Prefecture, killing Hudaberdi Tohti with 38 stab wounds and his son with a shot to the head. Then the terrorists set Tohti's home on fire, causing serious burns to his wife.

On October 11, three terrorists put three ignition devices in cotton heaps at the cotton purchasing station of the Hotan City Cotton and Hemp Company.

On October 24, terrorists attacked the police station in Saili Township, Zepu County, with guns, machetes, incendiary bottles and grenades. They shot one member of a local security guard dead and wounded another, wounded a policeman and killed a criminal suspect in custody. After that, they burned ten rooms, one jeep and three motorbikes belonging to the police station.

2000

On January 25, terrorists besieged two families of the Han origin in Wushi County, resulting in a big casualty of seven deaths and two injuries with the youngest child being only of two years old.

On January 26, terrorists killed a Han resident aged 60 in Xinhe County.

In March, Nighmet Bosakof, president of the Kyrgyzstan "Uygur Youth Alliance," was shot dead in front of his house by members of a terrorist organization named the "East Turkistan Liberation Organization" because he had refused to cooperate with them.

In May, members of the "Uygur Liberation Organization" beyond the boundaries extorted US$100,000 as ransom after kidnapping a Xinjiang businessman, murdered his nephew, and set the Bishkek Market of Chinese Commodities on fire. On May 25, 2000, terrorists attacked the work team of the Xinjiang regional government who went to Kyrgyzstan to deal with the above case, causing one death and two injuries. The culprits then fled to Kazakhstan, killing two Kazakhstan policemen who were searching for them in Alma-Ata in September the same year.

2001

On February 3, a gang of terrorists broke into the home of Muhammatjan Yaqup, an official at the People's Court of Shufu County, Kashgar Prefecture, killing him with 38 stab wounds.

2002

On June 29, Wang Jianping, 52, First Secretary of Chinese Embassy to Kyrgyzstan and another Chinese citizen were murdered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

2003

On March 27, armed men attacked a coach traveling between China and Kyrgyzstan, killing 21, including 18 Chinese nationals.

2006

On December 15, a bombing at the Children's Hospital of the Urumqi No. 1 People's Hospital injured two.

2007

In January, police destroyed a terrorist training camp in the Pamir plateau, killing 18 terrorists and capturing 17. The police also seized 22 hand grenades and more than 1,500 half-finished grenades, and some home-made explosives. One officer was killed and another injured in the raid.

2008

On January 27, Chinese police smashed a terrorist gang in Urumqi, the regional capital, killing two and arresting 15 others. Five police were injured during the raid when three homemade grenades were thrown at them.

On March 7, a 19-year female, Uygur ethnic, attempted a terrorist attack on a China Southern Airlines flight that left Urumqi for Beijing. The attempt was foiled.

On August 4, two terrorists, armed with guns, explosives, knives and axes, drove a heavy truck onto a team of more than 70 police in a regular morning exercise in Kashgar. Seventeen people were killed and 15 injured in the attack four days before the Beijing Olympics.

On August 10, serial explosions occurred in the early hours in some supermarkets, hotels and government buildings in Kuqa County, killing a security guard and injuring two policemen. Eight terrorists were shot dead by police while two others killed themselves by suicidal bombings.