Suspects Arrested, Killed, in Kucha Attacks
Xinhua’s English-language site is now reporting that eight of the suspected bombers in Sunday morning’s attacks in Kucha (Quchar, 库车) have been shot and killed by security forces. Two more apparently committed suicide by way of explosion, two have been arrested, and three are still at large. Xinhua’s Chinese-language site still seems to have no news of the incident, though Caijing, a news magazine known for being somewhat more outspoken, is following the story more closely. Like the English-language articles, Caijing has eyewitness reports, including suggestions of car bombs, the sound of at least 10-20 bombs, and gunfire. The attacks, according to their information from the Public Security Bureau, occurred around 2:30 AM Beijing time (12:30 AM Xinjiang time). The International Herald Tribune (IHT) has details of the incident that differ somewhat from the Xinhua account.
From the Xinhua article, it seems that Kucha is under lockdown, with businesses shut and security checks everywhere. This sounds a great deal similar to what was said to have happened in Qitai, north of Urumchi, on 25 June: according to rumor, ten soldiers had been killed in a raid on a munitions depot at the headquarters of the 102 Regiment of the People’s Liberation Army, 6 km from Qitai proper. Following this incident, the city’s businesses and institutions were closed or open on a limited basis for several days after, while armed police patrolled the streets at regular intervals, frequently performing identification checks. Although the veracity of this rumor cannot be verified, the circumstances and reaction seem very similar.
The IHT’s report also quotes IntelCenter, which conducted some analysis of the first video released by the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), as saying that that organization is, in fact, the same as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the terrorist group blamed by the PRC for most dissident activity in Xinjiang, the existence of which has not been independently verified. The evidence from IntelCenter as put forth in the article, based primarily on the organizations’ names, seems sketchy. We had a look at the relationship between Xinjiang separatism and radical Islam in Xinjiang at the TIP back in April, when a video of an execution of Chinese workers in Peshawar, Pakistan, distributed in the name of the TIP, was released.
Ta Kung Pao is reporting that 20 people involved in the bombings had planned to act as suicide bombers if captured by police, but that most didn’t carry it out. They cite a police report for that, but if true it hasn’t made its way into Xinhua.