Violent clashes in China's Xinjiang region leave dozens dead

Recent violence in China's Xinjiang region has left dozens of people dead or injured, state media says.

According to the BBC, a knife-wielding gang attacked a police station and government offices in Shache county.

While many attackers were shot dead by the police, dozens of Uighur and Han Chinese civilians were killed or hurt in Xinjiang on Monday.

The violence erupted as Uighurs were protesting against China's heavy-handed Ramzan crackdown.

The report said that more than 30 police cars had been damaged or destroyed in the terror attack and six of them burnt out.

A sudden surge in the incidents of violence has been noted in Xinjiang in recent months.

Uighurs and Han Chinese migrants have had strained relationships with each other for years now, with some Uighurs opposing Chinese rule in Xinjiang

In 2009, some 200 people- mostly Han Chinese- were killed in large-scale ethnic rioting between Han Chinese and Uighur communities in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.

Authorities say that tensions have escalated with more incidents of Xinjiang-linked violence being reported in recent months, which according to them, is the handi-work of Uighur separatists.

Meanwhile, China says it is investing heavily in the region to improve people's lives and attributes Xinjiang violence to "terrorists" inspired by overseas Islamist groups, the report added.