/asia
(CNN) -- A confrontation in western China has killed two police officers and led authorities to detain at least 20 members of the Uighur ethnic group, according to an international organization that represents Uighur interests.
Two officers were killed, more were severely injured and others suffered slight injuries in a confrontation on Wednesday between Uighurs and police, said Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the the World Uighur Congress, which is based in Germany.
A Chinese police spokesman, however, said she was unaware of any police deaths or of any incident in the region in question.
The clash happened in Jiashi County, about 62 miles (100 km) from the city of Kashgar, Raxit said. That is in China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan, a region that is home to a Sunni Muslim ethnic minority.
Uighurs in Xinjiang are supposed to enjoy regional autonomy, as guaranteed by China's constitution, but some want independence.
Millions of Han Chinese, the country's dominant ethnic group, have migrated into Xinjiang over the past 60 years, prompting complaints that they dominate local politics, culture and commerce at the expense of the Uighurs.
The dissatisfaction has turned violent at times.
On August 4, an attack killed 16 police officers in Kashgar.
Police have detained several hundreds Uighurs as a result of that incident, and they've detained at least 20 as a result of clashes Wednesday, Raxit said.
All About Xinjiang Uighur • China
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