CHINESE police shot dead 13 attackers in the Xinjiang region in the far west of the country yesterday after they rammed a truck into a police station and detonated explosives.

"Police shot and killed 13 attackers at the scene," state news agency Xinhua said, adding that three police were slightly wounded.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the violence.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks, with Chinese authorities blaming previous incidents on Islamist separatists in the region.