Local villagers in Shache county examine illustrations teaching them how to identify extreme religious acts on Tuesday in Kashgar prefecture, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Chen Jing / for China Daily

Terrorists arrested for their attack on July 28 in Shache county in southern Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture, admitted that they killed two township officials because they refused to join the terrorists and reprimanded the attackers, the local information office said.

Thirty-seven civilians were killed and 13 others injured in the attack. Police shot 59 terrorists and arrested 215 others.

It was 4 am when Ubulajan Tuohot, 44, head of Dunbak township, was summoned to his office, after sleeping less than 4 hours at his home in the county.

He asked Abdu'ani Turdi, 38, a member of the leading group of the township, to drive there with him.

At about the same time, a gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku township, and some moved on to nearby Huangdi township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they went.

The attackers also set up roadblocks on Bachu-Shache Road and stopped passing vehicles before slashing passengers indiscriminately and forcing civilians to join them in the terror attack, according to local police.

The terrorists forced Ubulajan and Abdu'ani, who were stopped at the roadblock near Elixku township, to shout jihadist slogans and join the terrorists. Both refused. By the time the police arrived, the two officials had been brutally killed and their car burned.

Investigations showed that it was an attack jointly "organized and premeditated" by terrorists both inside and outside China.

The mastermind behind the attack was said to be Nuramat Sawut, from Elixku township, who had close connections with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement terrorist organization.

Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun made an inspection tour in Xinjiang from Aug 1 to 4, his third anti-terrorism inspection in the region.

Guo went specifically to Shache county to learn the details of the attack, and he visited local police and residents.

He called for improved intelligence collection, integrated prevention and control measures and better early-warning and emergency response capabilities to leave no gaps for terrorists to exploit.

He urged the grassroots government to mobilize villagers to participate in anti-terrorism work.

On Sunday, the Xinjiang government announced it would give rewards totaling about 300 million yuan ($48.7 million) to all those who heroically participated in the recent massive manhunt and capture of the remaining suspected members of a terrorist cell in Moyu county of Hotan prefecture. The first awards, amounting to 4.23 million yuan, were given to outstanding groups and individuals.

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Uygur scholar indicted for separatism	Heavy casualties reported in Xinjiang terror attack