City unites to say farewell

Emotional ceremony held in Kashgar for victims of terrorism

Relatives of victims killed by terrorists on April 23 are overwhelmed by grief during a memorial in Kashgar, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Monday. Zhen Shixin / For China Daily

Fifteen people who were killed by terrorists in Kashgar, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, more than one week ago were honored as martyrs and "anti-terrorism warriors" by the regional government on Monday.

The terror attack on April 23 in Sebuliya township, Bachu county, was the deadliest incident since the July 5 riot in 2009 in Urumqi, capital of the region, which left about 200 dead.

Nine community workers and six policemen (10 Uygur, three Han and two Mongolians) were killed. Mirgul Yusup, 24, a female community worker, was the youngest victim. Six suspects were shot dead and eight arrested.

Nine people, including those injured during the attack, were also honored after the memorial service took place in Kashgar. More than 1,000 people, including the families of the dead and Nur Bekri, chairman of the region, observed a moment of silence for the victims as rain fell on the city for the first time this year.

In a breakthrough on Monday, police said they had arrested 11 suspects who had fled the scene.

Police also found 20 explosive devices, raw materials for making explosives, knives, combat training equipment, illegal religious materials as well as three jihadist flags.

Xinjiang police identified Kasmu Memet as the leader of the group that had been planning to "do something big" in a crowded public area in Kashgar this summer.

On April 23, bombs were being made at a house in Selibuya.

Community workers, on a routine visit, arrived at the house in the afternoon.

Other gang members, not in the house, were alerted and took up position.

Once they realized that the community workers had discovered explosives in the house and were holding the men inside, this group ran into the house and targeted the community workers.

All three female community workers were killed. Nine others, including the head of Selibuya police station who shot dead one suspect and wounded another, were forced into a room and burnt to death after the terror group set the room on fire with petrol.