THIRTY-SEVEN civilians were killed and another 13 injured in a terrorist attack July 28 in Shache County, Kashgar Prefecture in Xinjiang, authorities said yesterday.

    Police gunned down 59 terrorists and arrested 215 others, the regional government said. The case was first reported Tuesday, but no figures were given.

    A gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku Township on July 28, and some moved on to the nearby Huangdi Township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they passed.

    The gangsters also set roadblocks on Bachu-Shache Road, stopped vehicles passing by and attacked passengers indiscriminately.

    Investigations showed that it was an attack jointly “organized and premeditated” by terrorists both in and outside China, the government said.

    The mastermind behind the attack was identified as Nuramat Sawut from Elixku Township, who has close connections with the terrorist organization East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).(Xinhua)