War on terrorism spreads to China

This map gives an idea of the proximity
of the Xinjiang region to Pakistan's and
Afghanistan's borders

Chinese police killed 18 suspected terrorists and captured another 17 in a raid in the northwest Xinjiang region.

China revealed the depth of its fear of Islamic-linked violence yesterday when police disclosed that they had killed 18 terrorists and captured another 17 after a fierce battle at a secret training camp in a remote northwestern region.

It was the first time that China had announced the discovery of such a camp in its territory. Officials said that they had uncovered links between the activists and international terrorist groups, hinting at connections to al-Qaeda.

Some, of course, doubt the terror group is motivated by Islamism:

Dru Gladney, a US-based expert on Xinjiang, said: “Most groups in Xinjiang are not motivated by Islam but by sovereignty. It behoves the Chinese Government to provide much more evidence to remove the cloud of doubt that surrounds this incident.”

Apparently Mr. Gladney thinks Islamist goals and goals of sovereignty are mutually exclusive. In fact, they're one and the same.