Six ‘militants’ shot dead by Chinese police in Xinjiang as they allegedly try to det

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Six ‘militants’ shot dead by Chinese police in Xinjiang as they allegedly try to detonate bombs

PUBLISHED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 4:11pm
UPDATED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 9:22pm

Andrea Chen [email protected]

Security has been increased in China's Xinjiang region in the past year following a spate of deadly attacks. Photo: AFP

Chinese police have killed six alleged “militants” who tried to set off bombs in a shopping district in the restive far-western Xinjiang province this morning, the local official news website Tianshannet reported.

No other casualties were reported in the region, which is home to about nine million ethnic minority Muslim Uygurs.

Residents in the area contacted police after reporting that they had seen a man carrying explosives in a shopping area in Shule County, near Kashgar.

Police shot dead the man, who was allegedly wielding an axe, before he had time to set off the explosives or attack the officers, the website reported.

Five of his alleged co-conspirators, who had also reportedly tried to set off explosives they had been carrying, were also shot dead by the police, Tianshannet reported

The local authorities gave no further details about the suspects.

Xinjiang has been the scene of deadly clashes between members of the Uygur ethnic minority and security forces in the past few years.

The Uygurs have complained about religious and cultural repression.