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QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – A syrian diplomatic source stated on Monday that damascus intends to transfer hundreds of detained Uyghur fighters to China in coordination with Beijing, as per remarks declared by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The source informed AFP that the administration “intends to hand over 400 Uyghur fighters to China based on a Chinese request and in multiple batches. ” The statement comes hours after Asaad al-Shibani, the foreign minister in Syria’s transitional administration, met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing earlier in the day, as per official announcements. Additionally, the two sides discussed security cooperation and efforts related to foreign militants detained in Syria.
Uyghur fighters in Syria are primarily affiliated with the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a jihadist organization whose members are ethnically Uyghur and originate from China’s Xinjiang region. TIP fighters commenced appearing in the Syrian crisis around mid-2014 and maintain a presence within armed factions operating in opposition-held parts of the northwest. The group had been linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other factions that controlled territory in Idlib and surrounding areas.
In fact, the transfer of Uyghur fighters to China—if implemented—would mark one of the largest such handovers to a foreign government. The Syrian diplomatic source did not specify when the transfers would begin or whether additional groups of foreign fighters may be included in future arrangements. Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on the details of the handover.
By Atoun Jan