China’s Official Confirms Some Uygur Join IS

Top official of China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region firstly confirmed that Xinjiang residents have joined the radical group of IS.

“Some Xinjiang residents have crossed the border illegally to join IS. The group currently has a growing international influence, and Xinjiang is affected by it.” Zhang Chunxian, the region’s top leader outspeaks on Tuesday.

Xinjiang has been hit by religious extremism, leading to an increasing number of terrorist attacks in the region.

Last year, Chinese authorities arrested some of those attempting to cross borders illegally to join terrorist groups。

The region has more than 12 million Muslims, making up 52 percent of China’s Muslim population.

“Xinjiang has been working hard to end religious extremism while dealing with inroads made by new groups, but this takes time” Zhang said.

“The overall situation in Xinjiang is stable and controllable,” he said.