Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) -- Supported Cause

al-Qaeda and the Taliban have indirectly funded the ETLO through the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (alleged)

Much debate exists regarding the ETLO's links to al-Qaeda, Osama bin-Laden, and the Taliban.  However, according to the Global Defence Review, both ETLO and ETIM are "widely acknowledged" to get funding and training from al-Qaeda. Although the ETLO has only been responsible for several small terrorist attacks at present, it is probable that their members will mount more attacks in the future.  The ETLO's current goal continues to be the foundation of an Islamic state in Xinjiang province, an unlikely possibility given China's dedication to crushing Uyghur militancy in all its forms.

Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM)

East Turkistan Liberation Organization -- Supported Cause

al-Qaeda and the Taliban have provided financial assistance and training (alleged)

The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is an Islamist extremist group based in China's Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region.  ETIM is an ethnic Uygur separatist organization that aims to create an Islamist state in the Xinjiang province.  <P><br /><br />The area commonly referred to as Turkistan is sometimes split into Western Turkistan and Eastern Turkistan.  Western Turkistan was controlled by the Russian empire and then by the USSR, and so the area is also referred to as Russian Turkistan.  The USSR treated this area as an autonomous region.  Following the dissolution of the USSR, the region was split among five new republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.  In contrast, Eastern Turkistan has long been a part of China and is sometimes referred to as Chinese Turkistan.  Today, the region is officially referred to as the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region.  <P><br /><br />While the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement's name would suggest that the group is interested in creating an Islamic state exclusively in the Xinjiang province ("Eastern Turkistan"), some analysts have stated that the group aims to create a new state that would include portions of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Xinjiang.  ETIM is not the only terrorist group committed to an Islamic state in the Turkistan area; the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is another significant terrorist operation pushing for a theoretical Islamic Turkistan state.<br />