Ramadan Ban: 18 Police Officers Confirmed Dead In China

18 police officers have been confirmed dead in the
Tahtakoruk district of western Xinjiang province. They were killed after ethnic
Uighurs launched a coordinated attack in China’s Xinjiang province, in what has
been seen as a response to Beijing’s recent fasting ban during Ramadan.

“When one of the policemen at the checkpoint ran out of
the booth, the car backed up, hitting him and breaking his leg. Two other
suspects then rushed out of the car, using knives to attack and kill two police
officers who had come to rescue their comrade,” Turghun Memet, a police
officer with the Heyhag district police station, was cited as saying.

Tensions between the Muslim Uighurs – who call themselves
natives of the region – and the Han Chinese – who are the majority – have been
rising in recent years along with increasing bloodshed in the region.

The attack is widely seen as retaliation by the fighters
after Beijing imposed harsh restrictions on Ramadan, a month which is
considered holy by Muslims. It is believed that this is not the first time the
Uighurs have launched knife attacks in the region.