China sees threat from own people who went to fight in Iraq, Syria and are now returning home

BEIJING – The head of a Central Asian anti-terrorism organization says China and its neighbors face a threat as their own nationals return home after fighting in Iraq and Syria.

Zhang Xinfeng, head of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Regional Anti-Terrorism Agency, says the body is monitoring militants who went to terrorist hotspots and is closely watching related discussions online.

Zhang was quoted by China's official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday as saying that all the organization's member states have citizens who have joined radical groups in Iraq and Syria, but gave no details. He said further anti-terror measures will be discussed at a summit of the organization, known as the SCO, this week.

Along with China and Russia, the SCO includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.