Death toll in clash in China's far west at 20
Source: Associated Press
Associated Press – 58 mins ago
BEIJING (AP) — Officials on Thursday raised the death toll from a clash this week in China's heavily Muslim far west to 20, with police having shot a higher number of assailants from the Uighur ethnic group than previously reported.
The Xinjiang province's state-run website said nine assailants charged and slashed a crowd of civilians during Tuesday's violence in the Xinjiang community of Yecheng, killing 13 and injuring many others. Police then fatally shot seven attackers and detained two others, the report said.
Earlier state media reports put the overall toll at 12, describing it as a terrorist attack and saying 10 civilians and two assailants were killed. However, an overseas Uighur group, the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress, said local Muslims were lashing out over government oppression and that most victims were armed Chinese security personnel.
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