KASHGAR - Fifteen community workers and police officers who died during a terrorist attack on April 23 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been awarded for their bravery.

A commendation meeting was held on Monday morning with the regional Party Committee and government posthumously awarding the 15 individuals each as a "regional anti-terrorist hero," according to the regional government.

Ten of the 15 were of the Uygur ethnic group.

Seven of the 15 were also posthumously awarded as a "regional outstanding CPC (Communist Party of China) member."

Nur Bekri, the regional governor, said at the commendation meeting that the nature of the terrorist attack was not about ethnic or religious issues, but a terrorist act to split the motherland and undermine national unity.

Bekri said the terrorists carried out the attacks on victims, without sparing people of their own ethnic group.

The attacks happened around Tuesday noon in a town of Bachu County, Kashgar Prefecture, some 1,200 km southwest of Urumqi, regional capital of Xinjiang.

The violent clash between the terrorists and authorities left 21 people dead, including 15 community workers and police officers and six terrorists, said local authorities.

"Many families lost their loved ones in the incident. It has led to my hatred for the terrorists who killed the innocent and destroyed our lives," said Enwaer Ehet, who lost both his son and brother in the attack.

21 dead in Xinjiang terrorist clash