The Turkistan Islamic Party is an Al Qaeda branch that fights under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al Sham, the Salafist jihadist terror group that led the overthrow of the Assad regime and is forming a new Syrian government.
Uighur jihadist group in Syria, Katibat al Ghuraba al Turkistan, has created a Palestinian sub-unit to accommodate its Palestinian and Arab members.
The suicide bombings show the Turkistan Islamic Party’s close battlefield integration with al Qaeda’s forces in Syria, as well as further highlighting its position within the overall al Qaeda network.
A Uighur commander known as Abu Omar al Turkistani was killed in a US drone strike in Syria on Jan. 1. According to a jihadi biography posted online, he had a lengthy career fighting alongside al Qaeda-linked forces. He purportedly participated in the Battle of Tora Bora in late 2001.
China Uighurs: Xinjiang city of Urumqi to ban Islamic veil
Xinjiang violence: 15 reported killed in attack
China plans to fight terror with ‘dozens’ of new cities
China and Uighurs Offer Differing Accounts of Violence in Xinjiang
China: Posters warn of bearded terrorists
China bans Ramadan fast in Xinjiang region
Police in Deadly Confrontation in Restive Chinese Region
Anxious China emerges as diplomatic player in Afghanistan
Kunming knife gang ‘tried to leave China’ before attack
US says Kunming attack is ‘act of terrorism’
Survivors Recall Carnage and Terror in China Rampage
China Blames Separatists for Knife Attack; 33 Dead
Tiananmen Attack Linked to Police Raid on a Mosque in Xinjiang
Q. & A.: Philip Potter on the Growing Risk of Terrorism in China
Armed rioters attacked police stations in China’s restive western Xinjiang province today. Clashes between rioters and police left at least 27 dead, and an atmosphere of martial law is being reported in Shanshan county.
The Uighur from Guantanamo cooking pizza in Albania
Islam Flourishes in China’s Ningxia Region
China Says Wanted Militants Use Nearby Countries to Stage Attacks
China names six Uighurs on terror list
Deadly violence rocks China’s restive Xinjiang
China says Xinjiang kidnappers were on ‘holy war’
Reports of Deadly Shootout in Xinjiang Region of China
The US Treasury Department and the UN have designated Abdul Haq as a terrorist with ties to al Qaeda and the Taliban. The designation may complicate the Obama administration’s efforts to relocate seventeen Uighur detainees currently held at Gitmo. Some of the Uighur detainees have openly admitted their ties to Abdul Haq.