Thirteen people were killed while three policemen were injured when gangsters ram a truck into a police station in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Saturday morning, in another apparent terrorism attempt, the local government told reporters.

The police, however, were quick to counter the attack by shooting the mobsters, killing all of the 13 attackers, who were aboard the truck they used to ram the public security bureau of Yecheng County.

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The gangsters tried to set off explosives but the police were quick to neutralize them, the information office of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region announced. Three policemen were injured, although slightly.

Details about the identities of the fatalities were not immediately available but initial information showed those who died were members of a group that tried to sow terror by blowing off the police station but failed.

Authorities in the region were still investigating the incident and the local government said local social order has been back to normal following the Saturday morning attack.

Police and government troops have been on alert in the remote region of Xinjiang, where violent attacks have been increasing over the past five years. Authorities said the attacks were committed in the name of "jihad" as more than 50 percent of the region's population holds Muslim beliefs.

On 16 June, Xinjiang executed 13 people who were linked to the series of violent crimes and terrorist attacks in the region. They were convicted of leading or participating in terror groups, engaging in murder and arson, and manufacturing explosives, based on local court records.

The local courts said the 13 have been involved in the killing of policemen, government officials and civilians, caused losses in property, and gravely endangered the security and safety of the public.

TagsXinjiang Attact, Xinjiang Police Station Attack, 13 Killed in China Attack, Yecheng Attack