China today appointed a 'tough cop' as its first counter-terrorism Czar to coordinate all security forces involved in the massive crackdown against al-Qaeda backed Uyghur militants in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang province following the deadly Paris attacks.
Liu Yuejin, a key figure in China's crackdown on illegal narcotics has been appointed as the first commissioner of counter-terrorism, state-run China Daily reported.
In China officials heading national security are referred to as Czars as they enjoy enormous powers.
His appointment which was expected to drastically change the anti-terrorism strategy in the country with more focused operations to target Uyghur militant groups comes in the back drop of Paris attacks last month that killed 129 people and emergence of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
A number of Uyghur militants who crossed over to Syria from Turkey were found to have been fighting along with IS.
Some of those who returned were captured by Chinese police.
Pakistan military too is carrying out periodic operations in its tribal areas where the al-Qaeda backed East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which was blamed for several attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China, has training bases.
With the image of being a tough cop, Liu, 56 previously an assistant minister of public security, will coordinate the Communist-nation's efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.
He is from the central province of Hunan and coordinated operations with Laos and Myanmar in 2012 to capturedrug-lord Naw Kham who was blamed for killing of 13 Chinese.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security declined to give further details on Liu's appointment.
"After Liu's appointment, it's urgent we set up a national intelligence-sharing platform, which will help the authorities to obtain and analyse terrorist-related intelligence, then effectively direct forces such as the police, armed police and soldiers to stop terrorist plots and target criminal groups," Mei Jianming Director of the college's counterterrorism research centre at the People's Public Security University of China said.
Liu's appointment follows a series of terror attacks allegedly by ETIM ,including in March last year when an armed gang killed 29 people and injured 143 others in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.
After the recent attacks in Paris, China has "strengthened patrols and preventive measures across the country to stop similar cases occurring here", the ministry said.
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Earlier this month, a graphic video purportedly
by IS denounced "evil Chinese communist infidel lackeys".
"In retaliation for the tears that flow from the eyes of the oppressed we will make your blood flow in rivers, by the will of God," one fighter featured in the video said speaking in native Uyghur language.
The video release was timed with the massive counter-terrorism drills by Chinese security forces in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi.
China also had put pressure on Pakistan in recent times to step up crackdown on ETIM bases in tribal areas.
Official media reports said Chinese and Pakistan security forces jointly patrolled the PoK border to prevent infiltration.
China has also launched Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism along with Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces to tighten security along Xinjiang borders.
The security has been stepped up as Xinjiang is also the starting point for the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC).
Xinjiang, the home of native Muslim Uygurs, was in turmoil for a years over Uygur resentment about the increasing settlements of Hans, from other parts of China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently called for building a "great wall of iron" to safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity in Xinjiang to improve relations between different ethnic groups.
