Crackdown on terror cells in China; 380 detained

BEIJING: China has broken up 32 "terror groups", detained 380 "suspects" and sentenced 315 others in a crackdown against Islamist militants in the restive Xinjiang province in the first month of a year-long campaign to combat increasing terror attacks.

The crackdown was ordered by Chinese President Xi Jinping following massive suicide attack at a market in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on May 24 in which 43 people were killed and 94 others injured.

China blamed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (EIIM) for stirring up militancy in the province where the native Uygur Muslims resisted the increasing settlements of Hans from outside the province.

A total of 32 terror groups were cracked, 380 suspects detained and 315 people sentenced, a month after a massive anti-terrorism crackdown was launched in northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a report by the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Earlier the Uygur militants stepped up their attacks outside Xinjiang. Besides carrying out a suicide attack at the prestigious Tiananmen square here, violent attacks were also carried out at Kunming and Guangzhou railway stations.

China executed 13 people recently, stated to be members of ETIM and sentenced three others to death for Tiananmen attack.

Also a number of ETIM militants were reportedly killed in the air strikes carried out by the Pakistan Air Force on the hideouts of militants in the tribal areas. Xinjiang borders Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.