Monitoring service says Turkistan Islamic Party posted video claiming responsibility for April attack in western China

An Islamist militant group called the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at a train station in China's western city of Urumqi in late April that killed one person and injured 79, the Site Monitoring service said.

China had said the attack in its restive Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group, was carried out by two religious extremists who were killed in the blast.

Site, which tracks Islamist militant statements, said TIP had released a 10-minute video in the Uighur language showing the construction of a briefcase bomb it said was used in the station attack.

"A fighter is shown placing the explosive material and shrapnel of bolts inside a box, then inserting the detonation device in a briefcase with the explosive, and leaving the trigger exposed in an outside pocket," Site said of the video.

It said the video had been produced by the TIP's Islam Awazi Media Centre and posted on its website on 11 May.

Beijing says it faces a threat from militant Islamists in Xinjiang who want an independent state called East Turkestan. Authorities say many have links with foreign groups, although rights groups and some foreign experts say there is little evidence to support this.

The TIP, which China equates with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), keeps a low profile in Pakistan. Unlike the Taliban, it rarely posts videos promoting its activities or ideology. Its exact size is unknown and some experts dispute its ability to orchestrate attacks in China, or that it exists at all as a cohesive group.

In a rare interview with Reuters in March, Abdullah Mansour, who says he is the leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party, said it was his holy duty to fight the Chinese.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had not seen the video, but believed it might further bolster China's position on separatist groups. "Some violent extremist terrorist groups have now emerged. They are colluding with foreign groups and are attempting violent activities in Xinjiang and other areas in China intended to destroy China's national policy and social stability," Hua said at a regular press briefing.

"We hope that everyone can recognise the goal of these violent groups and support the Chinese government's will to krack down on all violent terrorist activities and preserve safety for people and society," she said.

China has tightened security in a number of cities after several recent deadly incidents in different parts of the country. More than 100 people have been killed in unrest in Xinjiang in the past year. In March, 29 people were killed in an attack by what Beijing described as knife-wielding terrorists from Xinjiang at a train station in the south-western city of Kunming.

Exiled Uighur groups have repeatedly called for transparent investigations into the violence and say such incidents should not be used as excuses for further repressive policies on Uighur communities. Many Uighurs say they are unhappy at Chinese restrictions on their culture and religion, although the government says they are given widespread freedoms.

Last week the government strengthened police patrols and restricted bulk purchases of gasoline in Beijing, where a car burst into flames on the edge of the Tiananmen Square in October, killing the three people in the car and two bystanders. China labelled it a suicide attack by Xinjiang militants.

China has sent weapons specialists to Xinjiang to give firearms training to police , according to the ruling Communist party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily.

The officers were sent to Xinjiang to "improve the anti-terrorism and emergency management ability of front-line police officers, and resolutely strike against violent terrorists who are swollen with arrogance", it said.

Police in the south-western city of Guiyang have recently been equipped with guns and ordered to patrol the city 24 hours a day, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

SUMBER

Buat yg ga bisa bahasa inggris,atau ga percaya media asing,gw sertain media lokal-nya:

Hizbul Islam Turkistan Nyatakan Tanggung Jawab atas Serangan di Stasiun Kereta Cina

XINJIANG, CINA (voa-islam.com) - Sebuah kelompok mujahidin yang menyebut Hizbul Islam Turkistan (TIP) menyatakan bertanggung jawab atas serangan di sebuah stasiun kereta api di kota barat Urumqi Cina pada akhir April yang menewaskan satu orang dan melukai 79 orang lainnya, kata layanan Pemantauan SITE.

China telah mengatakan serangan di wilayah Xinjiang yang bergolak, rumah bagi kelompok etnis Muslim Uighur, dilakukan oleh dua mujahid yang juga gugur dalam ledakan itu.

Xinjiang, yang kaya sumber daya dan strategis terletak di perbatasan Asia Tengah, telah dilanda kekerasan selama bertahun-tahun, dan serangkaian serangan terbaru, beberapa di antaranya yang telah disebut Beijing sebagai aksi terorisme, telah membuat terkesima negara itu.

SITE, yang melacak pernyataan kelompok-kelompok jihad mengatakan TIP telah merilis sebuah video 10 menit dalam bahasa Uighur menunjukkan perakitan sebuah bom tas yang katanya digunakan dalam serangan stasiun tersebut.

"Seorang pejuang ditampilkan menempatkan bahan peledak dan pecahan baut peluru di dalam kotak, kemudian memasukkan perangkat peledakan di tas dengan bahan peledak, dan meninggalkan pemicu terlihat dalam saku luar," kata SITE video.

Dikatakan video telah dihasilkan oleh Islam Awazi Media Center milik TIP dan diposting di situsnya pada 11 Mei.

Beijing mengatakan mereka menghadapi ancaman nyata dari mujahidin di Xinjiang yang menginginkan negara merdeka yang disebut Turkestan Timur. Pihak berwenang mengatakan banyak dari para mujahid tersebut memiliki hubungan dengan kelompok-kelompok asing, meskipun kelompok hak asasi dan beberapa ahli asing mengatakan ada sedikit bukti untuk mendukung hal ini.

TIP, yang Cina setarakan dengan Gerakan Islam Turkestan Timur (ETIM) , tetap low profile di Pakistan. Berbeda dengan Taliban, kelompok itu jarang memposting video yang mempromosikan kegiatan atau ideologi mereka. Jumlah pasti anggotanya tidak diketahui dan beberapa ahli berbeda pendapat tentang kemampuan mereka untuk mengatur serangan di Cina, atau bahwa eksistensi mereka sebagai kelompok bertalian.

Dalam sebuah wawancara langka tapi singkat dengan Reuters pada bulan Maret, Abdullah Mansour, yang mengatakan dia adalah pemimpin Partai Islam Turkistan, mengatakan itu adalah tugas suci untuk memerangi Cina.
Pernyataan TIP datang ketika Cina tengah memperketat keamanan di sejumlah kota setelah beberapa insiden mematikan baru-baru ini di berbagai bagian negara itu.
Pekan lalu, pemerintah memperkuat patroli polisi dan membatasi pembelian grosir bensin di Beijing, di mana sebuah mobil terbakar di tepi Lapangan Tiananmen pada bulan Oktober, menewaskan tiga orang di mobil dan dua pejalan kaki. Cina melabeli itu sebagai serangan jibaku oleh mujahidin Xinjiang.

Lebih dari 100 orang telah tewas dalam kerusuhan di Xinjiang pada tahun lalu. Pada bulan Maret, 29 orang tewas dalam serangan yang dipersalahkan Beijing kepada teroris bersenjata pisau dari Xinjiang di sebuah stasiun kereta api di barat daya kota Kunming.

Kelompok Uighur di pengasingan telah berulang kali menyerukan penyelidikan transparan menjadi kekerasan dan mengatakan insiden tersebut tidak boleh digunakan sebagai alasan untuk kebijakan represif lebih lanjut tentang komunitas Uighur. Banyak orang Uighur mengatakan mereka tidak senang pada pembatasan Cina terhadap budaya dan agama mereka. (st/Reuters)
- See more at: http://www.voa-islam.com/read/intern....wuXcJppF.dpuf