BEIJING, Aug 28: Two Chinese policemen have been killed and two seriously wounded in a clash in Xinjiang, a spokesman for an exiled group said on Thursday.

The oil-rich area, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, was hit with three separate attacks on government posts before and during the Beijing Olympics that authorities blamed on militants seeking to disrupt the games.

The latest attack took place on Wednesday in Jiashi county, not far from the old Silk Road city of Kashgar, said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Europe-based World Uighur Congress.

“We’re not certain of the circumstances, but local Uighurs called us and said they had heard gunfire and people being arrested,” he said by telephone. “It was a clash between the police and Uighurs.”

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said he had not heard of recent violence, but said the situation in Xinjiang was calm. “At present, all the people of Xinjiang live in equality and harmony,” he told a news conference in Beijing.

“Generally speaking, society is stable.”—Reuters