Alwaght- Chinese Special Forces are expected in Syria to take part in operations to annihilate a Takfiri terrorist group calling itself East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the Damascus countryside.
According to various sources, Chinese Ministry of Defense intends to send the country's army Snow Leopard Commando Unit (SLCU), to assist Syrian regime troops in operations against Takfiri ETIM that was sighted aiding terrorist groups in Syria. The group is reported to have several thousand fighters largely comprised of Chinese Uyghur separatists.
During a recent meeting with Syrian Presidential Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised President Bashar al-Assad's efforts in tackling the terrorists from the East Turkistan Movement.
Wang said that the international community has made important achievements in counter-terrorism cooperation, but the situation in Syria is still serious.
"The international community should put aside differences and continue to work together to fight against terrorist extremist groups and prevent them from spreading," he said.
However, during a press conference on Wednesday, when asked about the Chinese decision to deploy troops in Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang declined to confirm if his country is deploying special forces to Syria.
He added that," Too many people in the Middle East are suffering at the brutal hands of terrorists. We support regional countries in forming synergy, consolidating the momentum of anti-terrorism and striving to restore regional stability and order."
The Syrian government asserts that at least 5,000 fighters of Uyghur origin have arrived in Syria, illegally passing through Southeast Asia and Turkey.
While China has traditionally stayed out of the Syrian conflict directly, the Asian country has intervened to combat the spread of the ETIM terrorist network that has opportunistically found its way to not only Syria, but Pakistan and Afghanistan.
