[Documentary] The War in the Shadows - Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang

The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang | Trailer




Xinjiang Under Blue Skies | Theme Song of The War in the Shadows



On March 1, 2014, eight knife-wielding Xinjiang terrorists unleashed deadly attacks on unsuspecting passengers at the Kunming Railway Station in southwest China's Yunnan province. The assailants killed 31 civilians and injured over 140 people.

"Xinjiang under blue skies" is a song jointly created by six Uygur and Han musicians in the aftermath of the attack. Chen Ruijun, who wrote the song, said people from other regions in China began perceiving Xinjiang and its people in a negative light after the attack. Changing people's perception of Xinjiang through the power of music became the biggest motivation for Chen and his fellow musicians. The song eventually took over half a year to produce – much longer than other pieces. "

At a time when attacks of different scales were taking place periodically in Xinjiang, people were anxious and depressed," said Chen. "Under these circumstances, we wanted to create a song that helps people face the confusion and the hardship, and helps open their hearts and minds."

On Friday, April 2, CGTN will present "The War in the Shadows," the last episode of a tetralogy chronicling the fight against terrorism in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

It portrays the plight of Xinjiang residents living through the aftermath of terrorism in the region, unveiling the inside stories behind decades of struggle.


[Documentary - Episode 1 of 4] Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang



Between 1990 and 2016, thousands of terrorist attacks shook the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, killing large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers. Horrific stabbings and bombings rocked the land once known as a commercial hub on China's ancient Silk Road.

The damage to local communities was incalculable while stability in the region quickly deteriorated. Authorities have been trying hard to restore peace to this land.

In this exclusive CGTN exposé, we show you never-before-seen footage documenting the frightening tragedies in Xinjiang and the resilience of its people.


Source : Fighting terrorism in Xinjiang


[Documentary - Episode 2 of 4] The Black Hand — ETIM and Terrorism in Xinjiang



The East Turkistan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, is designated as a terrorist organization by the UN. For decades, the group which has close links with international terrorist organizations perpetrated countless terrorist attacks aiming to separate the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from China.

The movement has attempted to recruit people on a massive scale, spreading a radical ideology that continues to cause chaos in many countries around the world.

In this exclusive CGTN exposé, we show you never-before-seen footage including interviews with perpetrators and recruitment videos used by this black hand.


Source : The black hand — ETIM and terrorism in Xinjiang


[Documentary - Episode 3 of 4] Tianshan Still Standing — Memories of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang



"Some wounds even time can't heal," Xia Yeling, an Urumqi-based psychologist said. For the past decade, she has been treating hundreds of patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the July 5 riots in 2009 in the capital city of China's Xinjiang. The killing sprees that resulted in 197 deaths and over 1,700 injures plunged the city into shock and panic, and etched indelible scars in the hearts of survivors and witnesses.

Traumas inflicted by humans are harder to heal than those from natural disasters, according to Xia, because trust between people has deteriorated in the midst of blood-curdling violence.

Between 1990 and 2016, thousands of terrorist attacks plagued the vast land of Xinjiang. Large numbers of innocent lives were lost in horrific stabbings, shootings and bombings. For survivors, the psychological toll could rival that of physical casualties. Xia told CGTN that those suffering from PTSD range from middle school students to seniors over 80 years old.

When symptoms of trauma don't go away, people have no alternative but to move on. Mirexmetjan Rozi, a survivor of the Id Kah Mosque assassination on July 30, 2014, has never returned to the mosque seated in the city center of Kashgar. On that day, three terrorists appeared, pushed him away and hacked at Imam Jume Tayir's neck and head. He failed to save Jume Tayir after he was stabbed in the thigh and has been grieving ever since. "Just thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat and want to cry."

Over 800 kilometers away, Dilqemer Tursun, both a witness and survivor of the bomb attacks in Luntai County of September 2014, is helping people as a rehabilitation therapist. At 21 years old, she lost her leg to an explosion while shopping with her family. "I heard my nephew crying and my mom yelling for help. Then I found myself gazing at my severed leg," she recalled. For months after that, she couldn't sleep, besieged by nightmares.

For her, there's an intertwined feeling of hate and forgiveness for the terrorist. "They must have been brainwashed by the violent videos. I think they are also victims."

Dilqemer lives on with her trauma, hoping to get a driver’s license and buy a car one day. Her greatest dream is to buy a bigger house for the whole family.

While residents have paid dearly for terrorism in the region, those on the frontlines constantly face the threat of death. As police deal with terrorists who use weapons ranging from homemade bombs to AK-47s, they have lost many colleagues in the line of duty.

In April 1998, police officer Long Fei lost his life during a raid on a household in Yili prefecture that was suspected of harboring a cache of weapons. He was a squad leader that led the attack on the terrorist hideout, but was killed when terrorists opened fire and shot him in the neck. In what turned out to be an even greater insult to his memory, Long's gun was stolen by a terrorist who fled and was later used to murder two policemen, named Kong Yongqiang and Nurtay Anwerbeg, two months later. During that assault, the terrorist was shot while attempting to escape through a window.

The sacrifice of the three police officers was not in vain. Retired police officer Abduraxman Peyzi said they had given their lives for Xinjiang's stability.

Due to the chaos in the region, simply being a police officer made one a target. The daughter of Xudaberdi Toxti saw terrorists hack her father, a policeman, to death one night, then they killed her brother when he tried to save their father. Peridem said she still feels uneasy when she sees people wearing red since it reminds her of the blood she saw then.

These attacks on regular people and police led to increased security in the region as all manner of violent attacks became more prevalent. Yalqun Yaqup, deputy director general of the Xinjiang Public Security Department, said in an interview with CGTN that the terrorists' methods have become increasingly "brutal" as they use anything from blades and guns to suicide bombings. He showed CGTN for the first time ever a cache of 5,000 homemade grenades seized in 1999 from the terrorist group "Kuresh," as well as 15,000 weapons seized in 2006, some of which were smuggled from abroad.

In the fight against these "violent terrorists," Yalqun Yalqup said law enforcement personnel are doing all they can to fight against rampant terrorism fueled by extremism.


Source : Tianshan Still Standing — Memories of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang


[Documentary - Episode 4 of 4] The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang



Xinjiang, in the far western land of China, hosted one of the world's first and most important trade routes known as the Silk Road, which linked ancient Chinese civilization to the West through the Eurasian continent.

The land of fortune, however, has not always enjoyed tranquility. Thousands of terrorist attacks from 1990 through 2016 killed large numbers of innocent people and hundreds of police officers. Horrific stabbings and bombings rocked the land, leaving its people in shock, grief and panic. The damage was incalculable while stability in the region quickly deteriorated. Authorities have been trying hard to restore peace to this land.

In CGTN's first three documentaries on fighting terrorism in Xinjiang, we presented never-before-seen footage documenting the frightening tragedies in Xinjiang and the resilience of its people.

The fourth exposé "The war in the shadows: Challenges of fighting terrorism in Xinjiang" – the last of the tetralogy – exposes the extremist thinking and the challenges facing China's efforts to tackle terrorism inside and outside of Xinjiang.

It gives answers to these questions: Why has violent terrorism continued to plague Xinjiang? For those who were once known as "Two-faced people" among the legal and political elites in Xinjiang, how much damage have they done to anti-terrorism efforts in the region? How come poisonous education materials alleging ethnic victimization and "Turkic heroes" have been used for 13 years in primary and middle schools? Why must we stop the invisible hand of foreign advocacy alleging violent terrorism infiltrating our country?

The documentary reveals the methods used by extremist and separatist forces including the "Two-faced people" among the region's high-ranking officials, as well as how music and videos advocating violent terrorism and inciting ethnic hatred penetrated the region. Plus, it also tells of the very hardship police officers have been mired in for decades.

Over the past four years, violence has largely been contained, giving way to rapid urbanization and economic growth. Safety and tranquility never come easy. But it's only a preliminary victory in China's fight against terrorism.

The film is 55 minutes long and consists of four parts: "The network," "Enemies within," "The textbooks," and "The black hands."


Source : The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang