Israeli Report: Thousands of Chinese Militants Fighting alongside Takfiris in Syria

A report by the Israeli Foreign Ministry found that thousands of Chinese Takfiris are fighting in the ranks of terrorists organizations in Syria, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

China is very concerned about their return and their influence on the security of its citizens and its worldwide interests, the daily’s website, Ynet, reported, noting that this is the cause why has recently increased its involvement in Syria, and has pushed to strengthen its ties with Damascus.

The report of one of the Zionist entity’s three intelligence assessment bodies, along with Military Intelligence and the Mossad, stated, “The arrival of tens of thousands of Chinese citizens fighting and living in the country raises the need for monitoring them. China is interested in as much data that can be collected on them, and it is our understanding that they would prefer to liquidate them on Syrian soil, in order to prevent their return to their region.”

The Chinese who fight in Syria are members of the Muslim Uyghur minority, a Sunni minority that speaks in a Turkish dialect and mainly resides in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, according to the report.

President Bashar Assad has recently said that Syrian and Chinese intelligence officials are working together to fight the Uyghurs in Syria, who entered through Turkey—and accused Turkey of the crisis.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China is ready to cooperate with relevant parties, including Syria, to combat the cross-border activities of the Uyghurs.

According to the Israeli report, the Chinese have made great efforts to put a stop to the illegal departure of Uyghurs from the country, but despite the blocking of the shortest route through Pakistan, tens of thousands of Uyghurs have fled through the southern border and crossed a winding route to reach Turkey.

In order to fund the trip, Uyghur families have sold their possessions in Xinjiang. Thanks to their Turkish origin, Turkey helps those who want to reach its territory—which creates tension between Ankara and Beijing, the report added.

In June 2013, the TIP (Turkistan Islamic Party) began distributing videos of its militants in Syria, who called for “jihad.” The TIP is a separatist Uyghur organization operating mainly outside the borders of China, and the videos have led to a significant increase in the number of Uyghur fighters in the last three years.

The Israeli report said 3,000 Uyghurs are fighting in the ranks of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the al-Qaeda branch in Syria (formerly known as the al-Nursa Front), and several hundred militants in ISIL Takfiri group. China estimates the number of militants to be around 5,000. Many Uyghur families have settled in villages in Syria, making the Uyghur militants even more determined to fight in the area.