ETGE condemns Syrian govt's alignment with China, calls move a "betrayal" of Uyghur fighters

Washington DC [US], November 18 (ANI): The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) has strongly condemned the HTS-dominated Syrian government for aligning with the People's Republic of China on what both sides describe as "security" and "counter-terrorism" cooperation.
In a statement released on X, the ETGE said the agreement directly supports China's ongoing "genocide, colonisation, and occupation" of East Turkistan.
According to the ETGE, the move represents a profound betrayal of Uyghur fighters who took part in the Syrian revolution. The group claims that thousands of Uyghur militants played a crucial role in enabling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to seize territory and ultimately overthrow the Assad regime in parts of northwestern Syria.
The ETGE alleges that tens of thousands of Uyghurs were initially lured into the "Turkistan Islamic Party" (TIP) by Chinese and Turkish intelligence networks under the false promise that supporting the Syrian revolution would lead to later assistance in liberating East Turkistan. These fighters were deployed alongside Jabhat al-Nusra, later rebranded as HTS, where thousands were reportedly used as "cannon fodder" in major battles against Syrian government forces.
The ETGE maintains that the TIP, founded in Pakistan in 1997, with Islamabad described as China's "all-weather ally", is a Chinese intelligence false-flag operation created to undermine East Turkistan's independence movement by linking it to global jihadist networks. Since its formation, the ETGE claims, the TIP has diverted Uyghurs from their national struggle and provided Beijing with a manufactured justification for branding Uyghurs as terrorists.
ETGE President Dr Mamtimin Ala said the shift represents "a profound betrayal of the thousands of Uyghurs who died fighting for the Syrian revolution." He urged Damascus to reject China's colonial and genocidal campaign in East Turkistan rather than aiding it. "Syria must condemn China's campaign of colonisation, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan, not support it," Dr Ala said.
The ETGE argues that China has long exploited the presence of Uyghur fighters in Syria as a pretext for its sweeping crackdown in East Turkistan since 2014. Under the guise of counter-terrorism, the statement says, millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples have been forcibly detained in camps and prisons, subjected to forced labour, sterilisation, mass abortions, and the separation of more than a million children from their families. It further alleges the destruction of more than 16,000 mosques and the criminalisation of Islamic and cultural practices.
The ETGE emphasised that East Turkistan's struggle is a legitimate fight for national liberation, decolonisation, and the right to external self-determination, rejecting any association with terrorism or religious extremism. The group insists that most Uyghurs who ended up in Syria are victims of manipulation by Chinese and Turkish intelligence networks and should be protected, rehabilitated, and separated from TIP leadership, which it accuses of being compromised.
ETGE Foreign Minister Salih Hudayar called on Damascus to halt all actions that endanger Uyghurs. "The Syrian government must immediately stop any steps that threaten the safety of Uyghurs in Syria or undermine East Turkistan's national liberation struggle," he said. Hudayar also reaffirmed the ETGE's willingness to engage with Syria, the United States, and other international partners to develop solutions that both ensure Uyghurs' safety and contribute to global security.
The ETGE urged governments and international organisations to prevent forced transfers of Uyghurs to China, hold Beijing accountable for its alleged crimes, and support the East Turkistani people's right to independence, in line with UN Resolution 3070 (1973). (ANI)