East Turkestan National Army: From Establishment to Disappearance
The Establishment of the East Turkestan National Army
Today, April 8th, is a historically significant day in modern Uyghur history that fills Uyghurs with pride and honor—a day when a formal military force was established for East Turkestan. It is the commemoration day of the establishment of the East Turkestan National Army in Ghulja on April 8, 1945.
From the beginning to the middle of the 20th century, the intense political turbulence in the world’s political atmosphere strongly affected East Turkestan, turning it into a region caught in severe political turmoil. The liberation movements against Chinese occupying authorities that intensified in East Turkestan from 1931 to 1934 and from 1944 to 1949 left unforgettable memories in modern Uyghur political history. The East Turkestan National Army, established on April 8, 1945, was disbanded following the entry of the Chinese invasion army into East Turkestan on October 20, 1949, and the occupation of East Turkestan on December 22. The army was completely eliminated by 1969. During this period, the struggle of the East Turkestan National Army left glorious marks in Uyghur history.
After Sheng Shicai suddenly turned away from the Soviet Union in 1943, a second large-scale revolution erupted in East Turkestan in 1944. On April 9, 1944, with the support and assistance of the former Soviet Union’s consulate in Ghulja, an underground organization—the Ghulja Liberation Organization—was established in Ghulja county town (present-day Ghulja city) against Sheng Shicai and the Kuomintang government. Elihan Tore was elected as the chairman.
In August 1944, under the leadership of Fatih Batur, Akbar Batur, Seyit Batur, Gheni Batur, Hamit Batur, and others, a partisan detachment headquarters was established in the mountainous Ulastay region of Nilka County to begin a liberation struggle against the colonial Kuomintang government. Fatih was elected as the commander-in-chief of the partisan detachment, Hamit as deputy commander-in-chief, and Akbar as front-line commander. The partisan detachment mobilized local people of various ethnicities from surrounding areas such as Jalunghul, Jartughan, and Koksay to prepare for an armed general uprising against the Republic of China’s colonial rule in Ghulja.
After thorough preparation, on October 6 of that year, the partisan detachment launched an attack on Nilka County town under Fatih’s command and occupied it on October 7 after fierce battles. Subsequently, the first people’s government in the history of East Turkestan’s national independence revolution was established in Nilka County. In this battle, Hamit fought heroically against the enemy and sacrificed himself honorably for freedom and liberation. During this battle, the partisan detachment eliminated about 30 military police of the Kuomintang, captured over 140 soldiers, and seized 66 rifles, 8 pistols, 3 machine guns, 150 grenades, thousands of bullets, and one vehicle, while also liberating more than 100 people of various ethnicities from prison.
After the liberation of Nilka County town, the Ulastay partisan detachment was reorganized into three large units. The first unit had nearly 300 people who were Kazakhs, with Akbar appointed as the leader and Seyit as the deputy leader. The second unit consisted of Uyghurs, Mongols, and a small number of Sibe people, totaling about 250 people, with Gheni appointed as the leader. The third unit was mostly composed of Russians, with Ivan Sitov appointed as the unit leader. The total number of partisans exceeded 800.
On November 4, 1944, the Ghulja Liberation Organization, with the advice of the Soviet consulate in Ghulja, decided to launch an uprising in Ghulja, taking advantage of the opportunity when the main military forces of the Republic of China’s National Army in Ghulja had departed to suppress the insurgents in Nilka. While secretly organizing and arming the masses within the city, they also sent messengers to the Nilka partisans with the help of the Soviet consulate, requesting their assistance in the Ghulja uprising.
On the evening of November 6, 1944, a joint meeting was held under the leadership of the Liberation Organization with the heads of various armed forces, establishing a military command headquarters to lead the uprising. Soviet Red Army officer Pyotr Romanovich Alexandrov was appointed as the commander of the military headquarters, with Rehimjan Sabir Hajiyov, Abdukerim Abbasov, Varshanov Mikhailovich Mazharov, and Kasimjan Kambari as members.
At dawn on November 7, the Nilka partisan detachment under Fatih Batur’s command, the Korgas partisans led by Abdukerim Abbasov and Pyotr Romanovich Alexandrov, along with local insurgents of various ethnicities and the masses in Ghulja city under the leadership of the Liberation Organization, jointly launched a comprehensive attack against the main military outposts of the Kuomintang ‘s National Army in Ghulja city, the governor’s office, the Ili Prefecture police headquarters and branch police stations, power stations, telephone offices, and professional companies. On November 12, the East Turkestan Republic government was established in Ghulja under the leadership of the Liberation Organization.
After the East Turkestan Republic government’s high command issued orders to launch a comprehensive attack on Harembegh, the airfield, and Langshang Temple where the remnants of the Kuomintang Army were stationed in Ghulja, the partisan detachments, with the assistance of Soviet military personnel, launched fierce attacks on various targets at dawn on January 28, 1945. Although Chiang Kai-shek had telegraphed his troops to ”hold firm until the end with a spirit surpassing that of Stalingrad,“ the remnant forces of the Republic of Kuomintang’s National Army, besieged in three locations including Harembegh, could not withstand the fierce attacks of the Ili partisans and were defeated. As a result, the partisans captured 2,100 rifles, 98 heavy and light machine guns, 2 anti-aircraft guns, 5 mortars, 54 airplanes (many of which had been damaged by the enemy), 16 vehicles, 8 radio devices, and other military equipment. After the partisan detachments occupied Harembegh, the entire Ili Prefecture, except for Jing and Bortala counties, was completely liberated.
On April 8, 1945, a flag-presenting ceremony for the East Turkestan National Army was held in Ghulja, officially announcing the formal establishment of the regular East Turkestan National Army. The uniforms of the army were modeled after those of the Soviet Union Army. The army’s epaulets, collars, and flags were established, and medals and orders were distributed. Under the East Turkestan National Army’s General Staff, organizations such as the Military Supply Department, Political Department, Military Construction Department, Military Court, and Military Operations Department were established. Palenov, a White Russian soldier of the Tsar who had fled from the Soviet Red Army and settled in Ghulja, was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief; Mazharov was appointed as the Chief of Staff; Zunun Teyipov, a Uyghur, was appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chief; Gheni Batur was appointed as the head of the Military Court; and Abdukerim Abbasov was appointed as the head of the Political Department. The total number of soldiers in the regular army exceeded 40,000.
Although the National Army was newly established, their determination to liberate East Turkestan and their fighting spirit were extremely strong. They drove Chinese troops out of the three northern prefectures, destroyed the defense lines of Shihezi and Jing, which were called the ”steel fortress“ of Urumqi, and prepared to attack Urumqi after crossing the Manas River, which was only 150 kilometers from Urumqi. At the same time, they organized a southern front unit and began attacks on areas south of the Tianshan Mountains, while secretly sending people to organize uprisings against the Chinese Kuomintang government in various places. In the south, they established an armed insurgent force centered in Tashkurgan and Tashmilik, launching large-scale attacks on areas occupied by Chinese troops. The regular forces liberated the strategically important Bai and Wensu counties, surrounding Chinese troops within the city walls of Aksu. Other armed insurgent groups also launched attacks from various directions, driving Chinese troops out of their territories. Chinese forces were essentially confined to the walled cities everywhere.
In April 1946, an ”11-Point Agreement“ was signed between the two sides. The name of the East Turkestan Republic was abolished, and a coalition government with the Kuomintang government was established. The East Turkestan National Army was reduced and reorganized into 6 regiments. Tens of thousands of armed insurgents in the south also surrendered their weapons and returned home. However, since the Chinese Kuomintang government did not abide by the agreement, the coalition government collapsed, and representatives of the East Turkestan Republic returned from Urumqi to Ghulja in August 1947. They expanded the army again, forming a more perfect force of 30,000 people consisting of 5 cavalry regiments, 3 infantry regiments, and one cavalry battalion.
In 1949, the Chinese Communists achieved decisive victory in their battle with the Kuomintang. As a result, the Kuomintang government fled to Taiwan. In June of that year, Liu Shaoqi went to the Soviet Union for secret talks. During the talks, the Soviet Union suggested that the Chinese Communist Party accelerate its entry into East Turkestan. On August 14, 1949, the Chinese Communist Party representative Deng Lichun arrived in Ghulja via Almaty with three staff members and one radio operator. According to Chinese government materials, on August 18, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Ahmetjan Kasimi inviting him to the Chinese National Political Consultative Conference to be held in Beijing in September. On August 20, Ahmetjan Kasimi replied to Mao Zedong by telegram, accepting this invitation.
According to the interview records of Dr. Hakim Jappar and Yarulla Bekov, Soviet security personnel who were active in Ghulja during the East Turkestan liberation revolution of 1944-1949 (published after the collapse of the Soviet Union), a delegation led by revolutionary leader Ahmetjan Kasimi held talks with a high-ranking Moscow official and a Kazakh leader from the State Security Agency of the Kazakhstan Republic in Almaty on August 24, 1949.
During the talks, the Soviet side advised Ahmetjan Kasimi and others to participate in the first Chinese Communist Party’s National Political Consultative Conference in Beijing without making any political demands or conditions, and to support China’s political programs. Ahmetjan Kasimi firmly rejected this and insisted that in resolving the political fate of East Turkestan, they would demand independence, or at least rights according to a federal system. He stated firmly that if this was not possible, there was no need to attend the meeting. The conversation was extremely tense and continued until midnight. Due to the intensification of the debate and pressure, Ahmetjan Kasimi, Ishakbek Mununov, Dalilkhan Sugurbayev, and others finally stated that the Chinese Communist Party should at least resolve the national issue according to the Soviet Union model, which meant granting the status of a union republic. However, the Moscow representatives did not give a satisfactory answer to this either, and the talks ended without result.
According to the false history fabricated by the Chinese government to conceal the truth, Ahmetjan Qasimi and his delegation left Almaty on August 24, 1949, to attend a conference in Beijing and perished in a plane crash near Lake Baikal on August 27 due to weather conditions. They were allegedly set to fully recognize the Communist Chinese government at the Beijing conference without demanding any national or political rights. However, Uyghurs believe that Ahmetjan Qasimi and his companions were victims of a conspiracy and foul play. This true history will undoubtedly be revealed once East Turkestan achieves independence.
The Dissolution of the East Turkestan National Army
With the support of the Soviet Union, the aggressive Chinese Communist Army occupied East Turkestan on October 20, 1949. On January 20, 1950, the East Turkestan National Army was officially dissolved and reorganized into the 5th Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, fully integrated into the Chinese military structure. During the 1962 Sino-Indian border war, the Chinese government deployed former East Turkestan fighters against the Indian Army in an effort to swiftly eliminate their presence. In this conflict, they demonstrated extraordinary heroism that became legendary. Alarmed and threatened by this, the Chinese government dispersed them across various units of the Chinese military and, under the pretext of post-service employment, scattered them to cities and villages throughout the country. The last remaining units—the 38th Regiment of the 13th Division and the 40th Regiment of the 14th Division of the 5th Corps—were absorbed into the Northern Xinjiang Field Army in 1969 and eradicated. During the decade-long Cultural Revolution, the generals and soldiers of the East Turkestan National Army were systematically killed or eliminated through various conspiracies and pretexts.
Though the East Turkestan National Army—representing the lofty pride of the Uyghur and other Turkic peoples of East Turkestan and leaving an indelible mark on our nation’s heart—was destroyed by the aggressive Chinese Communists, it occupies a glorious page in our history. It remains our historical pride and a source of inspiration for our future revolution.
Source: Nabijan Tursun, General History of the Uyghurs, Orkhun Website, wikipedia
Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur
Date: April 8, 2025
