as noted by muslim sources, the qing authorities in kashgar had all along intended to eliminate local dungans, and managed to carry out their preemptive massacre in the summer of 1864. this weakening of the local dungan contingent was possibly the reason why the initial revolt had not been as successful in this area as in the rest of the province. although the dungan rebels were able to seize yangihissar, neither they nor the kyrgyzs of siddiq beg could break into either the manchu forts outside yangihissar and kashgar, nor into the walled muslim city of kashgar itself, which was held by qutluq beg, a local muslim appointee of the qing.