Clash with Uygurs leaves 21 dead in Xinjiang

Twenty-one people were killed in a violent clash involving axes, knives and the burning down of a house in Xinjiang on Tuesday, the regional government said yesterday.

Nine officials, six police and six ethnic Uygurs were killed in Tuesday's drama, said Hou Hanmin, spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government.

The authorities branded it a terrorist attack, saying the assailants were "jihadists" plotting violence in the region, even though there was no evidence suggesting they were linked to overseas terrorist groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

"The assailants were influenced by radical thoughts and planning to stage a jihad, or holy war," Hou said. "There is no evidence that they have overseas connections, but the assailants we captured said they had watched violent videos and were making weapons."

It was the first violent clash in the region since Xi Jinping became president in March. The region is home to about nine million Muslim Uygurs, with many complaining of religious and cultural repression. About 200 people died in riots in July 2009.