Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China’s biggest headache is not in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but in Syria. And these are Uyghur fighters. According to latest reports, the Damascus government was allegedly preparing to hand over these Uyghur fighters to Beijing.

However, Syria’s official agency later rejected this claim. Despite this, the matter is continuously making headlines in international circles.

What is the whole matter?

According to international agency AFP, when Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani visited Beijing for the first time, the issue of Uyghur fighters was going to be important in his meetings. According to sources, on China’s demand, Damascus was planning to hand over these fighters in batches.

Another diplomatic source even claimed that about 400 Uyghur fighters could soon be sent to China. Just hours after the release of the report, Syrian government agency SANA, quoting the Foreign Ministry, termed AFP’s news as false, baseless and misleading. The government said that no such scheme exists at present.

Uyghur fighters: China’s old pain

China has long been accusing some groups among the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang of being involved in extremist activities. Uyghurs arrived in Syria after the 2011 conflict, primarily as part of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP). Uyghur fighters associated with organizations like ISIS in Syria and Iraq are considered a major threat to Beijing’s security.

These fighters were active in Idlib and fought along with Islamist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, this alliance together overthrew the Assad government. Now, another interesting twist in this whole matter is that almost a year since the fall of the Assad government, Syria’s new Islamist regime is busy distancing itself from its jihadist past and re-building the country’s diplomatic image.