China to mobilize 'all forces' after attack

China's highest-level government official in Xinjiang has called for all forces to be mobilized to find the perpetrators of Thursday's deadly attack in the regional capital Urumqi, pledging to "crush the swollen arrogance of terrorists."

Zhang Chunxian's remarks were reported by the Xinjiang government on its official news website on Friday, a day after five suspects allegedly blew themselves up in the attack on an open market, killing 31 people, according to state media.

President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday that those responsible for the attack would be caught and punished.

The Global Times, a state-controlled newspaper, said police were investigating whether more accomplices were at large after assailants in two vehicles targeted shoppers and traders and threw explosives at a street market in Urumqi.

The attack was described by authorities as the latest "severe terrorist incident" to hit Xinjiang, home to China's Uighur minority.

China has seen a series of incidents in recent months targeting civilians, which authorities have blamed on separatists from Xinjiang.

Critics of China's policies in Xinjiang say that tensions in the region are driven by cultural oppression, intrusive security measures and immigration by majority Han Chinese, which have led to decades of discrimination and economic inequality.

Some of the shoppers returning to the area on Friday told Al Jazeera doing so was an act of defiance.

The China Daily newspaper reported on Friday that authorities were boosting security in the capital "after a series of terrorist attacks across the country."

It said a new patrol plan, covering the skies, subways and streets, was to be implemented in 14 areas, including popular shopping districts and the Beijing Railway Station.

"Once an emergency happens, nearby armed police will take one minute to rush to these areas," the paper quoted Zhang Bing, deputy director of Beijing Public Security Bureau, as saying.

Al Jazeera and wire services