Eleven die as Xinjiang is hit by more violence

China’s northwestern Xinjiang region was hit by further violence on Sunday as 11 people were killed in a dozen attacks by suspected Muslim separatists, Reuters reported. Police shot dead eight assailants, while another two blew themselves up in a 15-man attack on supermarkets, hotels and government offices in the town of Kuqa in the early hours of Sunday. A security guard was also killed. Two of the attackers were captured and a manhunt is under way for the remaining three who escaped. The incident comes less than a week after 16 police officers were killed in a raid on a border patrol station in Xinjiang. The region is home to many members of the region’s Muslim Uighur population who resent Chinese control. The Chinese government has said Muslim separatists are among the top threats to the Olympic Games.