The foreign fighters from China that played a key role in Syria’s revolution episode artwork

EPISODE · May 22, 2026 · 16 MIN

The foreign fighters from China that played a key role in Syria’s revolution

from State of the World from NPR

Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic minority in China, that number in the millions. Human rights groups have accused China of persecuting Uyghurs because the government fears they have played a role in militant attacks. In today’s episode we hear the story of thousands of Uyghurs who travelled to Syria to gain battlefield experience fighting in the Syrian civil war. Are these people freedom fighters? Or are they the now battle-hardened militants China always feared?This story was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. You can read more of this reporting at NPR.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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