Photo allegedly shows Uighur militants fighting in Syria. (Photo: Twitter)
Up to 5,000 ethnic Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are now fighting in various militant groups in Syria, the Syrian ambassador to China said on Monday, according to Reuters.
“Our estimated numbers, because of the numbers we fight against, we kill, we capture, we wound, would be around 4-5,000 Xinjiang jihadists,” Reuters quoted Imad Moustapha as saying. “China as well as every other country should be extremely concerned.”
According to Moustapha, some of the Uighurs were operating in Syria sa a part of ISIS. However, their majority was fighting “under their own banner” to promote their separatist cause.
