Sixteen people were killed in a clash in China's restive far western region of Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority, state media reported Monday. Police attempting to detain criminal suspects in Shufu county near Kashgar were attacked by several "thugs" armed with explosive devices and knives, reported the tianshannet news portal, which is run by the Xinjiang government. Two police officers were killed and 14 of the "thugs" shot dead on Sunday, it said.