China tries to shrug off deadly attack

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"We're not really worried about these things," said the waitress, who would only give her surname, Chen. "It happens in other parts of the world, too."

Across the street from the attack site, a plainclothes officer with a video camera taped reporters as they tried to interview people. Four soldiers in green camouflage uniforms and matching helmets patrolled gripping clubs. A uniformed officer leaned against his motorcycle and watched.

"I'm not sure what happened yesterday," the officer told an Associated Press reporter. "But I can tell you that this area is safe. You can cover the news here without worrying about it."

At the border police base, only two guards stood lazily at the front gate. When a taxi pulled up in front and dropped off two elderly Uighur women, the guards snapped to attention and barked at the driver: "You can't stop here! Move on!"

In Kashgar's old section, with winding alleys and crowded shops where men bake wheels of golden flat bread and grill lamb kebabs, most merchants and shoppers avoided expressing opinions.

But one carpet dealer, who would only identify himself as Samet: said, "I don't know who these attackers are. I think they come from the countryside. But all I know is that it's bad for me. It scares away the foreign tourists."

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