2008 Kashgar attack - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from 2008 Xinjiang attack) Terrorist attack in Kashgar

4 August 2008 Kashgar attack
Part of the Xinjiang conflict
Kashgar is located in the northeast part of Kashgar Prefecture.
Location	Near Kashgar, Xinjiang, China
Date	4 August 2008 0800 (0000 GMT) –
Target	Policemen
Attack type	Vehicular, IED and knife attack
Deaths	16
Injured	16
Perpetrators	Kurbanjan Hemit Abdurahman Azat East Turkestan Islamic Movement (suspected)

v t e Xinjiang conflict
1930–1989 Xinjiang Wars Kazakh exodus Yi–Ta incident 1989–2006 Ürümqi (1989) Barin (1990) Ürümqi (1992) Gulja (1997) Ürümqi (1997) 2007–present Akto County raid (2007) Qaraqash County unrest (2008) Kashgar (2008) Shaoguan Incident (2009) Ürümqi (2009) Xinjiang (2009) Aksu (2010) Hotan (2011) Kashgar (2011) Pishan (2011) Yecheng (2012) Tianjin Airlines Flight 7554 Korla (2013) Bachu (2013) Shanshan (2013) Tiananmen (2013) Xinhe (2014) Kunming (2014) China–Vietnam border (2014) Ürümqi south railway station (2014) Ürümqi market (2014) Yarkant (2014) Juma Tayir assassination (2014) Luntai (2014) Bangkok (2015) Aksu (2015) Chinese Embassy in Bishkek (2016) Xinjiang internment camps Persecution of Uyghurs in China

Xinjiang conflict

1930–1989

1989–2006

2007–present

The 2008 Kashgar attack (Chinese: 2008年喀什袭击事件) occurred on the morning of 4 August 2008, in the city of Kashgar in the Western Chinese province of Xinjiang. According to Chinese government sources, it was a terrorist attack perpetrated by two men with suspected ties to the Uyghur separatist movement. The men reportedly drove a truck into a group of jogging police officers, and proceeded to attack them with grenades and machetes, resulting in the death of 16 officers.

Background

The region of Xinjiang in China has been subject to conflicts with a surge in terrorist incidents in the 1990s attributed to separatist militant groups, particularly the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations. The attack was among others that preceded the Beijing 2008 Olympics, including bombings in Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as an attempted suicide bombing on a plane in March. Activist groups including the Uyghur Human Rights Project alleges that China often exaggerates these threats to justify repression of the local Uyghur people.

Attack

Two attackers were involved in the incident near the western city of Kashgar. The Xinhua News Agency said the attack happened at about 08:00 (00:00 GMT). One of the men drove a dump truck into a group of border patrol police officers as they were jogging on a street. One attacker then got out of the truck and started attacking other officers with homemade explosives. The explosives went off prematurely and blew off one of his arms. The other attacker threw improvised explosive devices at a nearby police office. He then went into the building with a knife, but was subdued by police officers inside the complex. Both perpetrators were captured during the raid. Fourteen policemen died at the scene and two died on the way to the hospital; another 16 policemen were hurt, Xinhua state news agency reported.

Aftermath

Following the attack, the Chinese government tightened security in Kashgar, placing public facilities on heightened alert and restricting information flow about the attack. The attackers were identified as males, taxi driver Kurbanjan Hemit (28), and vegetable vendor Abdurahman Azat (33). They are members of the Uyghur ethnic group, and it was suspected that the attack was a terrorist action by ETIM separatists.

Xinhua called the incident a terrorist attack. Police investigators reported that they had recovered documents calling for a holy war, a homemade firearm, and nine explosives, whose design was similar to the explosives found in a raid on an ETIM facility in January 2007. A US intelligence monitoring group stated that the ETIM planned to carry out terrorist attacks during the week before the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games. This attack happened four days before the Beijing Olympics, after repeated warnings in recent months from the Chinese government that militants from the restive Xinjiang region were planning to stage attacks to disrupt the Games.

In September 2008, the New York Times reported that three tourists who witnessed the events claimed that no explosions were heard and that the attackers appeared to be machete-wielding police officers attacking other uniformed men.

Detention of media

On the night of 4 August, a Tokyo Shimbun cameraman and a Japanese TV reporter, along with two Hong Kong reporters making reports near the police post, were detained by security. The two Hong Kong reporters were not harmed. However, the Japanese reporters were beaten and punched. All four were released after two hours of detention. The Japanese government protested against the Chinese actions, although it has made no formal statement as there was no confirmation. Chinese officials and police in Kashgar apologized for the incident, but accused the two men of breaking rules.

References

^ "China confident of safe Olympics". BBC News. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
B. K. Potter, Philip. Terrorism in China: Growing Threats with Global Implications. Strategic Studies Quarterly.
Davis, Elizabeth. "Terrorism and the Beijing Olympics". China Brief.
^ "Chinese Islamists threaten Olympics". France 24.
"Rebiya Kadeer expresses her wish for a peaceful Beijing Olympics, and urges Beijing to cease its harsh repression of Uyghurs" (Press release). Uyghur Human Rights Project. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
"Q&A: China and the Uighurs". BBC News. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
"Chinese border assault kills 16". BBC News. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
"Clampdown in China Muslim region after bloody attack on police". AFP. 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
Foreman, William (6 August 2008). "China tries to shrug off deadly attack". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
"Jihad in China's Far West". Time. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
"Terrorist plot suspected in violent attack on police in west China's Xinjiang". Xinhua News Agency. 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on August 6, 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
Avery, Nerys (4 August 2008). "Xinjiang Border Patrol Attacked, 16 Dead, Xinhua Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
喀什恐怖襲擊部署一個月. Ming Pao (in Chinese). Hong Kong. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
"China tightens security following deadly attack". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Associated Press. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
"Interpol chief warns of Olympic terror threat". Yahoo! Eurosport UK. Agence France-Presse. 25 April 2008.
Delabroye, Caroline; Le Belzic, Sébastien (4 August 2008). "At least 16 policemen reportedly killed in bomb attack". France 24. Archived from the original on 2008-08-11. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
Wong, Edward (29 September 2008). "Doubt arises in account of an attack in China". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
日本不滿武警毆打日記者. Ming Pao (in Chinese). Hong Kong. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.

v t e Xinjiang topics
Ürümqi (capital)
History	Tocharians Western Regions Loulan Shule Yuezhi Kucha Karasahr Xiongnu Gaochang Khotan Han dynasty Protectorate of the Western Regions Chief Official of the Western Regions Kingdom of Khotan Sixteen Kingdoms Gaochang Göktürks: First, Western, Eastern and Second Tang dynasty Protectorate General to Pacify the West Four Garrisons of Anxi Beiting Protectorate Tibetan Empire Uyghur Khaganate Qocho Kara-Khanid Khanate Turkic settlement of the Tarim Basin Qara Khitai Mongol Empire Yuan dynasty Chagatai Khanate Moghulistan Kara Del Turpan Khanate Yarkent Khanate Dzungar Khanate Dzungar conquest of Altishahr Dzungar–Qing Wars Dzungar genocide Kumul Khanate Qing dynasty Qing rule Revolt of the Altishahr Khojas Afaqi Khoja revolts Holy War of the Seven Khojas General of Ili Reconquest of Xinjiang Republic of China Xinjiang Wars First East Turkestan Republic Second East Turkestan Republic Ili Rebellion People's Republic of China PRC incorporation
Geography	Cities Tian Shan Junggar Basin (Dzungaria) Tarim Basin (Southern Xinjiang) Gurbantünggüt Desert Kumtag Desert Taklamakan Desert Turpan Depression Karakoram Mountains Altai Mountains Kunlun Mountains Pamir Mountains Hexi Corridor Lanzhou–Xinjiang railway
Education	Xinjiang University Xinjiang Agricultural University Xinjiang Medical University Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics
Culture	Doppa Festival Music Meshrep gathering Muqam Tocharian clothing
Cuisine	Dapanji Nan Sangza Samsa Youtazi Pamirdin Xurpa Tunurkawab Chinese Islamic cuisine
Economy	Silk Road China Western Development Cotton industry National Cotton and Cotton Yarn Trading Center Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Xinjiang Free-Trade Zone
Visitor attractions	Apak Khoja and Xiang Fei Tomb Flaming Mountains Jiaohe ruins Gaochang Grand Bazaar, Ürümqi Id Kah Mosque Karakul Lake Kizil Caves Niya ruins
People	Amursana Mingrui Jahangir Khoja Yaqub Beg Zuo Zongtang Yang Zengxin Jin Shuren Sabit Damolla Sheng Shicai Ehmetjan Qasim Wang Zhen Saifuddin Azizi Rebiya Kadeer Nur Bekri Li Zhi Wang Lequan Zhang Chunxian Ilham Tohti Salih Hudayar Sattar Sawut Shirzat Bawudun Ghulam Osman Yaghma Rahile Dawut
Related	Uyghur people Xinjiang conflict Migration to Xinjiang Altishahr Chinese Turkestan East Turkestan East Turkistan Government in Exile East Turkistan National Awakening Movement Independence movement World Uyghur Congress China–Kazakhstan relations China–Kyrgyzstan relations China–Pakistan relations China–Turkey relations
Category Commons

v t e 21st-century protests and unrest in mainland China
2001–2007	2002–2003 Chinese protest movement (2002–2003) Yizhou riots (2002) Hefei student protests (2003) Tangshan protest (2004) Anti-Japanese demonstrations (2005) Huashui protest (2005) Dongzhou protests (2005–2006) Dazhou protests (2007)
2008	Lhasa riots Longnan riot Shenzhen anti-police riot Sichuan riots Tibetan unrest (International reactions) Uyghur unrest Weng'an riot
2009	Shaoguan incident Shishou incident Self-immolation of Tang Fuzhen Tonghua Iron and Steel Group riot Ürümqi riots Xinjiang unrest
2010	Chinese labour unrest Guangzhou language protests Ma'anshan riot Suzhou workers riot Tibetan language protest Xinfa aluminum plant protest Self-immolation in Yihuang
2011	Chaozhou riot Chinese pro-democracy protests (Crackdown on dissidents) Dalian PX protest Fuzhou, Jiangxi bombings Haimen protest Inner Mongolia unrest Shanghai Truckers strike Wukan protests Yunnan protest Zengcheng riot Zhejiang solar panel plant protest Zhongshan riot
2012	Anti-Japanese demonstrations Qidong protest Shifang protest Tibetan protests in Sichuan Zhongshan riot
2013–2014	Bachu unrest Shanshan riots Southern Weekly incident Taiyuan attack Tiananmen Square attack Golf factory workers strike Zhengzhou Airport riot
2015–2021	Wukan protests (2016) Jasic incident (2018) Minjiang University protests (2018) Delivery Knights Alliance (2019–2021) Inner Mongolia protests (2020)
2022–	Henan banks protests (2022) 2022 Beijing Sitong Bridge protest (2022) 2022 COVID-19 protests in China Zhengzhou Foxconn Protests 2023 Chinese healthcare reform protests
Related	Anti-incinerator movement in China China PX protest Egg fried rice protests Labor relations in China Mass incidents in China Self-immolation protests by Tibetans in China (Phuntsog self-immolation incident) Xinjiang conflict (East Turkestan independence movement)

Categories:

Background

Attack

Aftermath

Detention of media

See also

References