A recent report by the Economist highlights the involvement of a militant organization from China’s Xinjiang region in the Syrian conflict. The group, known as the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), seeks to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and other parts of Central Asia.
Founded in 1997 by Uighur refugees in Pakistan, the TIP developed connections with the Taliban and Al-Qaida over the next decade. China and several other countries consider the TIP a terrorist organization.
Some of these Uighur fighters had joined the Islamic State, while most remain affiliated with the TIP. When Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant rebel group in Syria, captured Aleppo on November 29, it did so with TIP Islamists in tow. A week later, the TIP’s leader, Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, issued a statement, saying, “The Chinese infidels will soon experience the same pain as the infidels in [Syria] if God wills.”
The Chinese government has long been concerned about the TIP’s presence in Syria. In 2016, it began holding monthly talks with the Assad regime to exchange information on the group’s movements, according to the AP. On December 31, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called on all countries to recognize the “violent nature” of the TIP and take a hard stance against it.
Recently, three TIP members were promoted to high-ranking positions in the Syrian army. It remains to be seen if Uighur fighters from this group will use Syria as a launching pad for actions outside the country.