Bangkok, Nov 13 (AP) Myanmar’s military government faced a new challenge Monday in the country’s northeast region as an armed militant group launched attacks in the western state of Rakhine.
Myanmar’s military government is facing pressure in the country’s north-east region, where a strategically important area was recently captured by a coalition of armed groups.
The group, known as the Arakan Army, suddenly attacked two posts of the paramilitary Border Guard Police in Rathedaung city of Rakhine, according to independent online media and local residents. The attacks come despite a year-long ceasefire with Myanmar’s military government.
The Arakan Army is an armed military unit of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement seeking autonomy from the central government.
The old name of Rakhine is Arakan. Here in 2017, due to the army’s brutal counter-insurgency operation, about 7,40,000 minority Rohingya had to flee the area and took shelter across the border in Bangladesh.
There were reports of clashes between militants and the army in the cities of Minbya, Maungdaw, Mrok-U and Kyauktaw.
According to online portal Arakan Princess Media, militants captured two border guard police posts in Rathedaung and 22 policemen in Kyauktaw had to lay down their arms.
According to reports, the army has blocked all roads in the state capital Sittwe and citizens have been ordered not to go out after 9 pm.
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Vaibhav Naresh
Naresh
