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Posted at 12:27 a.m., Monday, February 18, 2008

Olympics: China troops will get anti-terrorism training

Associated Press

BEIJING — China plans to boost anti-terrorism training for its military ahead of this summer's Olympic Games.

The troops will focus on biochemical and nuclear threats, as well as emergency rescue operations, the official Xinhua News Agency said today.

China believes terrorism is the biggest threat facing the Olympic Games and has called for closer international cooperation to prevent possible attacks. While not a traditional target of international terrorism, Beijing faces a growing long-term threat from Islamic separatists among the Uighur population in western China's Xinjiang region.

"This year poses a challenging test. We have scheduled massive training programs before the Olympics to better prepare against any possible threat," an officer from the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army said, according to Xinhua.

The army will help Beijing's police and armed police with rescue operations if there is a terrorist attack at the games, Xinhua said.

FBI head Robert Mueller said during a visit last month that China's security preparations for the Olympics were impressive and that his agency was lending its expertise on fending off possible terrorist attacks.

China's generally secretive police agencies have sought advice on Olympic security from the U.S., Germany, Israel and other foreign governments.