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2004-04-21 China-Japan-Koreas

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Posted by Fred 2004-04-21 08:42|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Think AQ is stupid enough to poke the dragon? The Chinese government wouldn't show nearly the restraint that we do.

Posted by AllahHateMe 2004-04-21 2:31:33 PM|| 2004-04-21 2:31:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 Mueller apparently is confused (not an unusual condition for him, apparently). The Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement was declared a bin Laden-affiliated terrorist group in Sep 2003, reportedly based on information obtained from Guantanamo detainees. According to this report (apparently emanating from a single source of undetermined reliability), there are ETIM cells in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan and Uzbekistan, and they have received the usual line-up of arms, money and training from OBL.

Right now there is now proof of this, at least that has been made public. Interestingly, prior to the Sept 02 announcement, the US had been the harshest critic of China's policies and operations in East Turkestan (which the Chinese call Xinxiang Province) against the 6 million historically Moslem Uighurs (East Turkics), making public accusations that China was using its participation in the WOT as an excuse to clamp down on political dissent. China claims the group has staged more than 200 attacks since 1990, causing 162 deaths. All these attacks were in China and there has never been any suggestion that the group had or would targeted anyone or anything besides the Chinese.

All of this can be blamed on China forcibly occupying the region in 1949, thus dividing the territory known as Turkestan. Western Turkestan now of course is better known as the former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, so it's not surprising - other than to the FBI - that there would be east Turkic activists in those countries. Nor is it surprising that they would also be active in Pakistan and Afghanistan, since both countries contain parts of the traditional Turkic state. I note that there have been no attacks or indications of Uighur terrorist activity in any of those nations either, nor in any country with large Uighur expat populations - Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the US.

There are about 6 million Uighurs in "East Turkestan," together with about 6 million ethnic Chinese resettled there by the communist government. Things have been really unsettled since the Soviet Union fell apart and the East Turkics could see just how bad things were for them in comparison to such garden spots as Uzbekistan.

I don't think AQ is stupid enough to risk his own life or "his" people's there, but he certainly is calculating enough to try, at least, to get the
Uighurs to do his dirty work for him. The Chinese would go after the Uighurs, which they're doing anyway. There aren't many potential Western targets in their AOR but it could help keep the Chinese too tied up at home to help out much in the WOT - though if they are inclined to do so, I haven't seen a lot of evidence.

And - sorry, there I go again. I visited the area in 1999 and loved it, despite its many hardships and poverty. When we were in China, the Uighurs were wonderful, the Chinese were absolute shits.

Sofia (The Librarian)

Posted by Sofia 2004-04-21 3:46:35 PM|| 2004-04-21 3:46:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 PS Two Uighur "activists" were deported from Kirghizstan to China in May 2002 after Kirghiz authorities claimed to have evidence they were planning to bomb the US Embassy in the Kirghiz capital of Bishkek. The State Dept's "evidence" is not considered reliable by the rest of the intelligence and security agencies involved in counter terrorism for the federal government.

Posted by Sofia 2004-04-21 3:49:26 PM|| 2004-04-21 3:49:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Diplomats and foreign experts say most violence in Xinjiang blamed on separatists isn't politically motivated and appears to stem from personal disputes.

Without belittling the importance of quashing terrorism, it also needs to be considered how the Chinese are running out any locals prior to developing large ore deposits and other natural resources in Xinjiang. The Chinese do not have a reputation for open-handedness when it comes to how they divide the pie with regional minorities.

Posted by Zenster 2004-04-21 6:16:17 PM|| 2004-04-21 6:16:17 PM|| Front Page Top

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