A terrorist camp in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been destroyed and 18 terrorists killed by police, a spokeswoman with the Xinjiang Public Security Department said on Monday.

One policeman was killed and another wounded in the gun battle on Friday in the mountains of Pamirs plateau in south Xinjiang, said spokeswoman Ba Yan.

The police captured 17 terrorists and are pursuing a number of others, added the spokeswoman.  They also seized 22 hand grenades and over 1,500 others the terrorists were manufacturing as well as guns and home-made explosives.

The police found the terrorists operated several mines near the camp to raise funds, Ba said.

Song Hongli, head of the general office of the Xinjiang Public Security Department, said local police would publicize developments in their pursuit of the remaining terrorists.

The training camp was run by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The group was labeled a terrorist organization by the United Nations in 2002, said Ba. It's believed more than 1,000 ETIM members have been trained by al-Qaeda.

Former head of the terrorist group, Hasan Mahsum, was shot dead by Pakistani troops in October 2003 in a joint anti-terror operation along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Hasan Mahsum had been accused of involvement in a series of violent terrorist activities in recent years. These include robbery and murder in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang and murders in Xinjiang's Hotan region. His alleged activities have caused heavy loss of life and property.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)