Tuesday, March 4, 2014

While the world looked West, a terrorist attack in the East

Did the Salafist/Jihadist Wave Reach China?

While the world is particularly worried about the Ukrainian crisis and the possibility of the return of the Cold War, China suffered probably the most traumatic terrorist attack in its recent history. On March 1, 2014 at least 29 people were killed and more than 140 wounded by knife-wielding assailants at Kunming train station in the Yunnan province.

Here is the link to my article on this major terrorist event on the Ops & Blogs website of Times of Israel:


Some updates about the event:

Chinese media is reporting all suspects believed to have taken part in the attack have been arrested or killed. Four of the attackers were shot dead at the crime scene as police and SWAT teams responded to the assault. A fifth assailant, reportedly a woman, was injured and subdued before being arrested at the train station. Three suspects remained at large for approximately 36 hours before being apprehended.

The number of the assailants has now been scaled back to eight. The group was composed of six men and two women. The name of the leader of the assault is Abdurehim Kurban, but it is not clear if he is dead or alive.

Flags representing East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) group were found at the train station, but no specific organization has publicly claimed responsibility.
Security measures have been stepped up at all Kunming transportation hubs, including the train station, hospitals and Changshui International Airport.
The authorities have described the massacre as an organized terrorist attack by Xinjiang separatists.
A Uyghur community lives in the Dashuying neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Kunming.


Ely Karmon, PhD
Senior Research Scholar
The Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at
Herzlyia, Israel
Tel.:   972-9-9527277
Cell.: 972-52-2653306
Fax.: 972-9-9513073, 972-9-7716653
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