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FOUR MONTHS after ethnic riots in restive Xinjiang brought China’s worst violence in decades, security forces have launched a “strike hard” campaign in the far western region and vowed to wipe out lawlessness.

Using tough language but without specifying what tactics would be used, a security spokesman said the campaign would “change the face” of the public security situation and involve a fresh manhunt for suspects who took part in July riots that killed nearly 200 people, most of them ethnic Han Chinese.