China says it is facing a expanding risk from militant Islam. It is in the midst of a 12 months-long...

1. They say very good information
China says it is facing a expanding risk from militant Islam. It is in the midst of a 12 months-long
crackdown on what it describes as terrorism driven by religious extremism. The campaign is
centered on the western province of Xinjiang, home to China's Uighur ethnic minority, who are
predominantly Muslim.
This is a story about China's wild west, a location where diverse rules apply.
Our driver and nearby guide is named Army. Numerous Chinese born in Chairman Mao's era have
names that are martial, patriotic or ideological. I guess Army is as great a title as any other.
We meet in the large altitude air of Kashgar. It is two flights from Beijing, 2,000 miles away, a lot of
it desert and mountain.
Kashgar is the final of the legendary oasis towns on the Chinese side of the ancient silk road. Closer
to Baghdad than to Beijing. Following end Pakistan.
Our flight is late in since it snowed overnight, the temperature dropping to minus 14C and turning
the runway to ice.
But an unforgiving winter is only the most ancient of Kashgar's difficulties.
This city is also the front line in a tussle for 10 million Uighur souls. You can begin charting the front
line even as you leave the airport.