Xinjiang terrorists finding training, support in Syria

Xinjiang terrorists finding training, support in Syria

Armed police officers attend an oath-taking ceremony at the People's Square on Saturday in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. At least 24 civilians and police officers were killed during a recent terrorist attack. Photo: CFP

From a foreign student studying in Istanbul to a soldier receiving training in Syria's Aleppo, to a terrorist plotting attacks in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, 23-year-old Memeti Aili said he felt like his dream was turned into a nightmare.Memeti Aili was recently caught by the police when returning to Xinjiang to complete his mission to "carry out violent attack and improve fighting skills" assigned by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). ETIM is a terrorist group that aims to create an Islamist state in Xinjiang, which works alongside the East Turkistan Education and Solidarity Association (ETESA), an Istanbul-based exile group. "After hearing their lectures, all I could think about was jihad and I totally abandoned my studies and my family," he told the police. "But thinking back, it was like a nightmare."An anti-terrorism official told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that about 100 people like Memeti Aili had travelled to Syria to join the fighting alongside Syrian rebels since last year. "Their purpose is to overcome their fears, improve their fighting skills and gain experience in carrying out terror attacks," according to the official who declined to be named.Xinjiang, in China's far west, borders central Asia and is home to 10 million Uyghurs. It was rocked by two terror attacks that killed 35 people last week, just days ahead of the fourth anniversary of the July 5 riot in the capital Urumqi that left 197 people dead. Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a work team to Urumqi after President Xi Jinping on Friday arranged measures to safeguard social stability."We will step up efforts to crack down on terrorist groups and extremist organizations while tracking down those wanted for these crimes," Yu was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency.Unwelcome to battle In 2011, after graduating from university in Urumqi, Memeti Aili went to study in Turkey like many other Muslim Ugyhur students. Soon after settling down in Istanbul, someone from the ETESA approached and offered him "help."A year later, after studying the lessons they provided, Memeti Aili was informed by ETESA and ETIM that he had been selected to travel to Syria to join the fighting. Together with other young people, Memeti Aili travelled to Aleppo, the largest city located in northwestern Syria and arranged to join the rebels. The percentage of foreign fighters in Syria has reached up to 80 percent from 29 countries such as Libya, Turkey, Lebanon and Yemen, according to Omran Zoubi, Minister of Information in the Assad government.Before arriving in Syria, Memeti Aili said he had never touched a gun. Together these young people received seven days of training in the suburbs of Aleppo where there was no water or electricity supply, and food was scarce. "We had to change sites four times a day in fear of possible bombings from the Syrian army, therefore we didn't learn that much during that week," he recalled.During the training, he was shown how to shoot a gun and make bombs. But not all of them had the chance to practice and many just watched and hoped that something would sink in. After this rushed training, Memeti Aili was assigned to join the Free Syrian Army (FSA), an armed opposition structure operating in Syria."We were running around Aleppo like madmen to avoid possible bombings and air attacks," said Memeti Aili, "We didn't see the Syrian army, but we saw the places where our guys got hit by bombs and died." He helped to take the wounded to the local hospitals, but they were told only one hospital was still working and was frequently bombed. His comrades were left to die.What surprised Memeti Aili the most was that foreign fighters were not really welcomed by locals. "We thought that if we brought holy war into Syria we would be welcomed, but the fact is, we were told by the local people that we were not welcome as they didn't want their lifestyle to change," Memeti Aili said.Most of the inexperienced fighters were killed due to inappropriate gear. Luckily for him, Memeti Aili was assigned to nighttime patrols instead of fighting in the front lines. Two months later he was sent back to Istanbul.In a statement released on the groups's official website in 2012, the ETESA denied that any Uyghurs had traveled to Syria to join in the fighting and stated it was not associated with any terrorist organization."The Uyghurs have never participated in any terrorist activities or have never carried out any violent actions against anyone or any government," it said.