June 2013 Shanshan riots
{{Short description|2013 Islamist riots in Shanshan County, Xinjiang, China}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Expand Chinese|date=June 2013|topic=hist}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = June 2013 Shanshan riots
| image =
| caption =
| location = Shanshan, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China
| date = {{start date|df=yes|2013|06|26}}
| time = 6:00 a.m. CST
| type = Knife attack
| fatalities = 35 in total
11 rioters
22 civilians
2 police officers{{cite news | first = Ningzhu | last = zhu | title = Rioters kill 24 in Xinjiang | date = 27 June 2013 | url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/27/c_132492895.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130630191603/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/27/c_132492895.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 June 2013 | agency = Xinhua News Agency | access-date = 4 July 2013}}
| injuries = 21
| perps =
| motive = Islamic extremism{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/china-orders-armed-patrols-in-xinjiang-after-violence-killed-35.html |title=China Claims Foreign Terrorists Are Linked to Xinjiang Violence |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=July 2013 |publisher=Bloomberg }}
}}
{{Xinjiang conflict}}
On 26 June 2013, rioting broke out in Shanshan County, in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. 35 people died in the riots, including 22 civilians, two police officers and eleven attackers.{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/state-media-riots-in-restive-minority-region-in-far-western-china-leave-27-dead/2013/06/26/98d9c6f0-de22-11e2-bc84-8049224b33e1_story.html |title=State media: Violence leaves 27 dead in restive minority region in far western China - the Washington Post |website=www.washingtonpost.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626182716/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/state-media-riots-in-restive-minority-region-in-far-western-china-leave-27-dead/2013/06/26/98d9c6f0-de22-11e2-bc84-8049224b33e1_story.html |archive-date=26 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/world/asia/ethic-violence-in-western-china.html?_r=0 | title=27 die in Rioting in Western China | newspaper=The New York Times | date=26 June 2013 | last1=Buckley | first1=Chris }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-26/xinjiang-violence-leaves-27-dead-after-attack-on-police-stations.html |title=Xinjiang Violence Leaves 27 Dead After Clash With Police |publisher=Bloomberg |date=26 June 2013}}{{cite web|author=Associated Press in Beijing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/26/china-riots-xinjiang-province |title=Riots in China's Xinjiang province kill dozens |work=The Guardian |date=26 June 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/06/2013626522162718.html |title=Dozens killed in riots in western China – Asia-Pacific |publisher=Al Jazeera }}{{cite web |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=38000&icid=a&d_str= |title=Police kill 10 in Xinjiang, violence claims 27 |work=The Standard |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705023655/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=38000&icid=a&d_str= |archive-date=5 July 2015}}{{cite web|last=Wade |first=Samuel |url=http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/06/27-dead-in-xinjiang-violence/ |title=27 Dead in Xinjiang Violence (Updated) |work=China Digital Times |date=26 June 2013 }}{{cite web|author=Celia Hatton |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23050288 |title=Violence in China's Xinjiang 'kills 27' |publisher=BBC |date=26 June 2013}}
Background
{{main|April 2013 Bachu unrest}}
Two months before the attack, ethnic clashes occurred in Marelbeshi (Bachu), Xinjiang, China. The violence left at least 21 people dead, including 15 police and local officials.{{cite news | first = Zhi | last = Chen | title = 21 dead in Xinjiang terrorist clash | date = 24 April 2013 | url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/24/c_132336588.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130427012116/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/24/c_132336588.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 27 April 2013 | agency = Xinhua News Agency| access-date = 2013-07-04}}{{cite news|title=China's Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22276042|access-date=24 April 2013|work=BBC News|date=24 April 2013}}{{cite news|title=Violence in western Chinese region of Xinjiang kills 21|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/24/world/asia/china-xinjiang-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3|access-date=24 April 2013|publisher=CNN|date=24 April 2013}}{{cite news|title=21 dead in Xinjiang terrorist clash|url=http://english.cntv.cn/20130424/105282.shtml|access-date=24 April 2013|publisher=CNTV|date=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426013845/http://english.cntv.cn/20130424/105282.shtml|archive-date=26 April 2013|url-status=dead}}
Attack
On 26 June 2013, terrorists in Lukqun Township, Shanshan County in Xinjiang attacked a police station and a local government building, killing two policemen and 22 civilians. Eleven of the attackers were also killed. This attack was one of the bloodiest attacks in Xinjiang since 2009.{{cite web|last=Austin|first=Henry|title=Report: 36 killed after knife gang attacks China police station|url=http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/26/19149980-report-36-killed-after-knife-gang-attacks-china-police-station#comments|publisher=NBC News|access-date=26 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=China says riots in western Xinjiang region, home to Uighur Muslim minority, leave 27 dead|date=26 June 2013 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-says-riots-in-western-xinjiang-region-home-to-uighur-muslim-minority-leave-27-dead/|publisher=The Associated Press via CBS News|access-date=26 June 2013}}
Aftermath
Following the riots, domestic-security chief, Meng Jianzhu, and head of minority affairs, Yu Zhengsheng, were dispatched to the region. Security forces also conducted military parades in the region in a show of force.{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/china/21580491-more-outbreaks-violence-show-governments-policies-are-not-working-unveiled-threats |title=Ethnic unrest in Xinjiang: Unveiled threats |newspaper=The Economist |date=6 July 2013}}
Reactions
In response to the riots, Chinese media blamed violence in its own Xinjiang province in June 2013 on extremists from Syria. The Global Times reported that members of an East Turkestan faction had traveled from Turkey to Syria. "This Global Times reporter has recently exclusively learned from the Chinese anti-terrorism authorities that since 2012, some members of the 'East Turkestan' faction have entered Syria from Turkey, participated in extremist, religious and terrorist organisations within the Syrian opposition forces and fought against the Syrian army. At the same time, these elements from 'East Turkestan' have identified candidates to sneak into Chinese territory to plan and execute terrorist attacks." It also cited the arrest of 23-year-old Maimaiti Aili, of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and said that he fought in the Syrian civil war. Dilxat Raxit, the Sweden-based spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, replied to the accusation that "Uighurs already find it very difficult to get passports, how can they run off to Syria?" While the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying did not directly respond to the claims she said that China has "also noted that in recent years East Turkestan terrorist forces and international terrorist organizations have been uniting, not only threatening China's national security but also the peace and stability of relevant countries and regions."{{cite web|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/china-xinjiang-idINDEE96004020130701 |title=China state media blames Syria rebels for Xinjiang violence |work=Reuters |date=1 July 2013}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
In Turfan's town of Lukchun the attack on 26 June 2013 was congratulated by the Turkistan Islamic Party who called the attackers "mujahideen" in the "Islamic Turkistan" magazine in its 14th edition.{{cite magazine|date= January 2014 |title=بيان بمناسبة العملية العسكرية في قرية "لُكْجُن" التابعة "طُرْفان" التركستان |url=https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/e1b8a5izb-al-islc481mc4ab-al-turkistc481nc4ab_s-turkistan-islamic-party-e2809cturkistc481n-al-islc481mc4abyyah-14e280b3.pdf |magazine=تركستان الإسلامية |issue=العدد الرابع عشر |page=4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004051818/https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/e1b8a5izb-al-islc481mc4ab-al-turkistc481nc4ab_s-turkistan-islamic-party-e2809cturkistc481n-al-islc481mc4abyyah-14e280b3.pdf |archive-date= 4 October 2015 }}
See also
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Xinjiang unrest}}
{{21st century unrest in the People's Republic of China}}
{{China national security}}
{{Portal bar|China|Society}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:2013 06 Shanshan riots}}
Category:2013 murders in China
Category:Riots and civil disorder in China
Category:Terrorist incidents in China