Militant Muslim group says it carried out western China attacks

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/08/militant-muslim-western-china-attacks

A militant Muslim group has released a video claiming responsibility for recent attacks in western China that killed at least three dozen people, a US group that monitors such organisations said.

The video was purportedly made by the Turkistan Islamic party, which seeks independence for China's western Xinjiang region, the Site Intelligence Group said. The militants are believed to be based in Pakistan, where security experts say core members have received training from al-Qaida.

Xinjiang is home to largely Muslim ethnic Uighurs who say an influx of China's majority Han to the region has led to their marginalisation. The region erupted in violence two years ago with ethnic riots in which at least 197 people were killed.

Since then security in the region has been stepped up, but that was not enough to prevent violence in the cities of Hotan and Kashgar in July that left dozens dead in a spree of slashings, arson and hit-and-run attacks.