China wants "crack down" on Syrian army's foreigners, after Chinese Uyghurs promoted to key positions

Record ID: 1893499

  • Title: China wants "crack down" on Syrian army's foreigners, after Chinese Uyghurs promoted to key positions
  • Date: 31st December 2024
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 31, 2024) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON MAO NING ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, MAO NING, SAYING: “The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM, also known as, the Turkistan Islamic Party) is a terrorist organisation listed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council in accordance with China's law. The international community should fully recognise the violent and terrorist nature of the ETIM and resolutely crack down on it.” JOURNALISTS SEATED NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 14th January 2025 10:06
  • Keywords: Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdi China Chinese Uyghur militant Separitist commander TIP Turkistan Islamic Party Zahid appointment brigadier-general foreign ministry
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001019131122024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:China called on the international community to “resolutely crack down” on the separatist Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) forces on Tuesday (December 31), after Syrian sources said Syria’s new rulers have installed some foreign fighters including a Chinese Uyghur militant, in the country’s armed forces.
    Commander of the separatist Turkistan Islamic Party's (TIP) forces, Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdi, also known as Zahid, was appointed a brigadier-general according to a Syrian military source. 
    Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular news briefing said the “international community should fully recognise the violent nature the East Turkestan Islamic Movement”, using the China’s name for the TIP.
    Two other Uyghur fighters, Mawlan Tarsoun Abdussamad and Abdulsalam Yasin Ahmad, were given the rank of colonel, said the TIP statement published on its website, congratulating them and the Uyghur community on the appointments.
    Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labor in camps. Beijing denies any abuses.

    (Production: Josh D. Arslan)
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