Uygur discontent must be addressed in times of terror
With the return of Middle East fighters, greater efforts must be made towards achieving economic equality and ensuring cultural and religious expression
The length and remoteness of China’s northwestern border make it difficult to determine how many battle-hardened ethnic Uygur fighters have returned to Xinjiang from Syria and Iraq. Nor have authorities revealed whether there has been a marked upsurge in terror attacks in the autonomous region since the retreat of extremist Muslim groups such as Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
Officials have spoken of a tenfold rise last year over 2016 in the number of jihadists intercepted while trying to cross the border. But the threat is not confined to the nation, as attacks on Chinese citizens and interests overseas prove, making a complex strategy necessary to tackle the scourge.
Syrian officials claim 5,000 Uygurs were among the tens of thousands of foreigners to have joined extremist and rebel groups involved in the country’s civil war and the attempt by IS to create a caliphate. With the conflict nearing resolution and IS all but defeated, it is inevitable that some would want to return home, perhaps to use their combat and weapons skills to avenge perceived injustice or in the name of separatism.
Some Uygurs have said they left Xinjiang for the far-off battlegrounds with the aim of gaining experience with weapons and strategy to carry out attacks against Beijing for perceived injustices. Uygur exiles and Western human rights groups contend a tough security crackdown in Xinjiang has fuelled resentment and intensified a push for an independent homeland.