Chinese Muslim forces under Ma Zhancang defended Kashgar against Uighur and Kirghiz rebels, shaping control of the city during the Xinjiang Wars.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1933
- Rebel leader killed
- Timur Beg (shot and beheaded)
- Key agreement
- Secret pact between Ma Zhancang and daotai Ma Shaowu
- Notable attacker (Sept. 26)
- Tawfiq Bay, Syrian Arab commander, wounded in battle
- Kirghiz rebel commander
- Osman Ali, driven back with heavy losses
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Turkic Uighur and Kirghiz forces under Timur Beg had been attacking and pillaging Chinese Muslim villages near Kashgar, while Abdullah Bughra led broader assaults on Chinese positions. This violence prompted Gen. Ma Zhancang to enter a secret agreement with the daotai of Kashgar, Ma Shaowu, to coordinate a joint defense of the city.
Chinese Muslim troops under Ma Zhancang joined the Han Chinese garrison inside the Kashgar yamen and repulsed Uighur and Kirghiz attacks. Timur Beg was shot and beheaded, his head displayed at the Idgah mosque. Kirghiz rebel Osman Ali was driven back with heavy losses. On September 26, 1933, a Turkic force led by Syrian Arab commander Tawfiq Bay attacked Kashgar new city but was repulsed after heavy fighting, with Tawfiq Bay being wounded.
The defense of Kashgar secured the city for Chinese Muslim and Han Chinese forces, preventing its capture by Uighur and Kirghiz rebels. The defeat of key rebel leaders, including the death of Timur Beg and the wounding of Tawfiq Bay, weakened the rebel coalition, though Osman Ali's forces looted parts of the city before being repelled.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ma Zhancang, Ma Shaowu (daotai of Kashgar).
Side B
1 belligerent
Timur Beg, Abdullah Bughra, Osman Ali, Tawfiq Bay.