Chinese police have shot dead two men suspected of involvement in a deadly mob attack at the weekend in the restive north-west region of Xinjiang, official media reported Tuesday. The deaths bring to 22 the apparent number killed in the latest round of ethnic violence to hit the region, with some reports putting the figure at 21.
The two were shot late Monday in corn fields on the outskirts of Kashgar city, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local authorities and police. The two were identified as 29-year-old Memtieli Tiliwaldi and 34-year-old Turson Hasan, both members of the mainly Muslim Uighur minority.
On Sunday, a mob stormed a restaurant and killed six. On Saturday, two men killed a truck driver before driving the vehicle into a crowd and stabbing seven people to death. Including the two shot Monday, eight of the suspected assailants were killed in the clashes or by police since Saturday, reports said. More than 40 people have wounded in the clashes. Uighurs, who make up 40 per cent of Xinjiang's population, resent what they see as the region's cultural and religious repression by the central government, and the growing number of residents from the majority Chinese Han ethnic group.
Comments
Comments are closed.