cox bazar bangladesh 28-year-old rohingya muslim shopkeeper mohammed rashid even phone call organizers fledgling insurgent movement come surprise ready message hours late meet darkness open field one 150 men attack myanmar border guard police post arm swords homemade explosives handguns end short battle half dozen men grow village dead train weapons say rashid buthidaung area myanmar rakhine state join group two months early account like rashid take part attack arakan rohingya salvation army arsa dozens police post early aug. 25 paint picture rag-tag band hopeless angry villagers promise ak-47 rifle end fight stick knives hundreds join recently june accord account membership mean little knife message leaders popular mobile message app whatsapp reuters interview half dozen fighters members group shelter bangladesh well dozens others among half million rohingya refugees flee across border escape myanmar army counteroffensive unite nations brand ethnic cleanse arsa emerge 2016 say press release video message leader ata ullah fight right rohingya stateless muslim minority long complain persecution mainly buddhist myanmar myanmar say arsa ruthless islamist extremist movement want create islamic republic northern rakhine despite massive suffer inflict communities weeks since august attack fighters stick dirt-poor camp say determine continue fight refugees voice support insurgency refugees reuters speak criticize insurgents bring misery upon myanmar leader aung san suu kyi spokesman zaw htay say arsa kill many muslims cooperate authorities people felt threaten terrorize support add myanmar intelligence show religious scholars prominent recruit followers arsa deny kill civilians respond request comment week analysts say violence could galvanize arsa members supporters huddle refugee camp among rohingya still myanmar people feel even less lose militancy like find fertile grind desperation community say richard horsey yangon-based analyst former u.n. official will take suicidal step see choice transnational islamist group could also try exploit desperation camp radicalize people horsey add al qaeda last month call support rohingya reuters could independently verify individual insurgents stories broad similarities account one fighter 35-year-old kamal hussain village rathedaung myanmar rakhine state say join arsa religious teacher stand village square june muslim holy month ramadan implore crowd hundreds fight say choice attack myanmar brothers sisters kill day day think everyone join day hussain say sit tarpaulin bangladesh refugee camp attack would go back fight chance unlike longer-serving fighters new joiners little train contact group leaders communicate use whatsapp deliver rudimentary homemade explosives ahead assault third fighter account support comment two elders village interview separately say 60 men myin hlut sign three months ago 26-year-old ask name fear arrest bangladeshi authorities say among 200 men attack another police checkpost early hours aug. 25. knives stick gun say promise us ak-47s get nothing explosives work two whole group throw nothing happen 40 fighters kill say add would call still support arsa say leaders call go fight go back accord two village-level commanders whatsapp group restrict leaders others members big group administer overseas use build broad community support arsa rohingya cause phone shoket ullah uncle 26-year-old fighter scroll message post whatsapp group arsa.g1 administer saudi phone number arsa press release videos allege myanmar military violence message support rohingyas share another whatsapp group ullah phone rohingya desh arakan administer someone use number malaysia tens thousands rohingya live saudi arabia malaysia rohingya anger myanmar long exist first serious arm resistance decades crowd bangladeshi camp several refugees voice support arsa disappoint regret happen pre-planned myanmar government say shafi rahman 45-year-old burmese teacher whose village burn grind day attack arsa attack would do us anyway several refugees say people begin sell cattle vegetables rice raise fund arsa everyone supportive however kamal hussain fighter argue arsa need keep fight neighbor camp shout lose everything violence answer shout one elderly man muddy water spill tent call home obvious fighters would regroup rebuild many flee across border disappear three fighters speak reuters say surprise ferocity myanmar military response within weeks commanders tell men put weapons abandon villages several say whatsapp group regional field commanders arsa rebranding year call al-yakin faith movement would post update go quiet people blame al-yakin need realize people flee 1978 1990s arsa say one two village-level commanders grow bangladesh family flee early outbreak violence return myanmar 1990s continue attack even women join ready fight homeless rohingya still back myanmar insurgency