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21 killed in clash in Uygur in China
April 24, 2013, 9:45 am

[AP]

Police officers and community officials were attacked and killed by the suspects [AP]

A violent clash between armed men and authorities in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has left 21 people dead, including 15 community workers and police officers and six of the suspects, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The attacks happened around noon on Tuesday in a town of Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, some 1,200 km southwest of Urumqi, regional capital of Xinjiang.

Officials were searching for weapons in the area when the suspects hiding in one of the houses attacked them, according to reports by China’s state media.

Police officers and community officials from the township who rushed to the scene were attacked and killed by the suspects.

Two people have sustained injuries and eight people have been arrested till now in connection with the violence.

An investigation into the case is now under way.

With inputs from Xinhua