Authorities in China have announced that a year-long crackdown against terrorism in the largely Muslim region of Xinjiang has seen more than 180 gangs busted.
The campaign was launched after 39 people were killed last year in a market attack which was blamed on separatists in the capital Urumqi.
"As of April 30 this year, 181 violent terror gangs have been destroyed, with 96.2 per cent being thwarted at the planning phase," Xinjiang's government-run Tianshan news site reported.
It said a further 112 suspects surrendered to the police.
Attacks in China
June 15, 2014
May 22, 2014
May 1, 2014
March 2, 2014
October 28, 2013
Scores of people have been sentenced to death as part of the drive, while hundreds have been jailed or detained on terror-related offences.
Rights groups have labelled the crackdown discriminatory, voicing concerns over Beijing's decision to extend punitive measures against terrorism in the region until at least the end of the year.
Clashes between authorities and alleged Islamist separatists, as well as attacks killing civilians, have spread in recent years, both in Xinjiang, which is home to just over 10 million of the mainly Muslim Uighur minority, and outside it.
More than 200 people died last year in violence either in or traced back to Xinjiang, according to media reports.
Among the most shocking incidents was a deadly rampage by knife-wielding assailants at a train station at Kunming in China's south-west in which 31 people were killed and four attackers died.
Three men convicted on terror charges were executed in March for their part in the attack.
Authorities have also targeted religious practices, such as the wearing of veils, which activists say has created an atmosphere of repression and led to violence.
China defends its policies, arguing that it has boosted economic development in the area and that it upholds minority and religious rights in a country with 56 recognised ethnic groups.
ABC/AFP
Página web diseñada con el fin de hacer conocer las noticias mas importantes a nivel nacional como internacional.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon