[Dawn] An Internet message purportedly from the leader of an Islamic group fighting Chinese rule in a western province urged Muslims worldwide to attack Chinese interests in retaliation for what it called the oppression of minority Uighurs.The audio recording in the name of Sheik Abdul Haq al-Turkistani was posted on the Internet Sunday, as China steps up its crackdown against the separatists in the oil-rich region home to the country's Muslim minority Uighurs. 'They (Chinese) must be attacked inside and outside,' the message said. 'Their embassies, consulates, and places where they meet should be targeted to kill their men and capture them to exchange them for our prisoners in Eastern Turkistan.'
The recording, titled 'China's massacres and savagery will not pass unanswered,' appeared on an Islamic Web site that usually carries al-Qaida and other militant videos and statements. Its authenticity could not be independently verified.
Previously, a video purportedly by Abdul Haq's group, the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party, threatened attacks on last year's Olympic Games in China. Security experts say members have received training from al-Qaeda.
In April, the US imposed financial sanctions on Abdul Haq and his group, which the US considers a terrorist organization. The US has alleged that in early 2008 Haq directed the group's military wing to attack various Chinese cities, focusing on those scheduled to hold Olympic events.
The capital of oil-rich Xinjiang province, home to the Uighur minority, has been tense since rioting erupted there on July five after police stopped a protest by Uighur residents. The Uighurs went on a rampage, smashing windows, burning cars and beating Han Chinese -- the nation's dominant ethnic group. Two days later, the Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs. The government has said the rioting killed 192 people and injured 1,721. State media has reported that more than 1,400 people have been detained.