YANGON (Reuters) - Rakhine insurgents killed 13 policemen and injured nine in attacks on four police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Friday as the country marked Independence Day, the official news agency said.

Fighting resurged in Rakhine state in early December between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army, which wants greater autonomy for Rakhine, where the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group makes up the majority. The Arakan Army does not cite religion as a factor in its insurgency.

It was also in the restive western state that a military-led crackdown in 2017, following attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents, prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee westwards to neighboring Bangladesh.

The separate conflict between the military and Arakan Army rebels forced 2,500 civilians from their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

The Arakan Army says it has been fighting for nearly a decade for self-determination in “the land of Arakan,” another name for Rakhine. An independent kingdom ruled in the coastal area until the 18th century.

The Arakan Army is one of multiple armed groups fighting in the name of ethnic minorities in the rugged borderlands of Myanmar, a country once known as Burma where around 90 percent of people are Buddhists.

The official Myanmar News Agency said four police posts in the Buthidaung area in northern Rakhine came under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on Friday.

Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured as police were forced to abandon two of the posts, it said, adding that the military was now conducting a “clearance” of the area.

Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun said the insurgents had hit police outposts near the border with Bangladesh.

“These police posts are there to protect the national races in the area so (Arakan Army rebels) shouldn’t attack them,” Zaw Min Tun said, referring to mostly Buddhist ethnic groups in the area who are, unlike Rohingya Muslims, considered Myanmar citizens.

Arakan Army spokesman Khine Thu Kha confirmed the assault and said rebels later retrieved the corpses of seven “enemies”.

He said later that rebels had freed at least 12 members of the security forces it detained in the fighting.

The attacks, he added, came in response to a Myanmar military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians. The military has denied targeting civilians.

The Myanmar military last month announced a four-month halt to fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with armed groups seeking autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine state.

The Myanmar police force said on Saturday it had opened cases against those involved in Friday’s attack under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law and a weapons law.

“This is a carefully planned premeditated attack to harm the lives and property of the people and to further aggravate the instability in the Rakhine State,” the English-language Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said on Saturday.

Friday’s violence erupted shortly after the national flag was raised across the southeast Asian country to mark 71 years since independence from Britain, but the Arakan Army spokesman denied any connection between the attacks and the anniversary.

“We are not independent yet. Today is not our Independence Day,” Khine Thu Kha said.

Last August, a U.N. report accused the Myanmar military of mass killings and rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent” in 2017 in an operation that drove more than 700,000 of them to flee to Bangladesh, according to U.N. agencies.

Myanmar has denied the charges, saying its military launched a counter-insurgency operation after attacks on security posts by Muslim militants.</s>YANGON: Buddhist Rakhine insurgents killed 13 policemen and injured nine in attacks on four police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Friday as the country marked Independence Day, the official news agency said.

Fighting resurged in Rakhine in early December between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army, which wants more autonomy for the Buddhist ethnic Rakhine minority.

It was also in the restive western state that a military-led crackdown in 2017 prompted hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims to flee westwards to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The separate conflict between the military and Arakan Army rebels forced 2,500 civilians from their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

The official Myanmar News Agency said four police posts in the Buthidaung area in northern Rakhine came under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on Friday.

Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured as police were forced to abandon two of the posts, it said, adding that the military was now conducting a "clearance" of the area.

Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun said earlier the insurgents had hit police outposts in a rugged region near the border with Bangladesh.

"These police posts are there to protect the national races in the area so (Arakan Army rebels) shouldn't attack them," Zaw Min Tun said, referring to mostly Buddhist ethnic groups in the area who are, unlike Rohingya Muslims, considered Myanmar citizens.

Arakan Army spokesman Khine Thu Kha confirmed the assault and said rebels later retrieved the corpses of seven "enemies".

He said later that rebels had freed at least 12 members of the security forces it detained in the fighting.

The attacks, he added, came in response to a Myanmar military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians.

The Myanmar military last month announced a four-month halt to fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with multiple armed groups seeking ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine state.

Friday's violence erupted shortly after the national flag was raised across the southeast Asian country to mark 71 years since independence from Britain, but the Arakan Army spokesman denied any connection between the attacks and the anniversary.

"We are not independent yet. Today is not our Independence Day," Khine Thu Kha said.

Last August a U.N. report accused the Myanmar military of mass killings and rapes of Rohingya with "genocidal intent" in 2017 in then operation that drove more than 700,000 of them to flee to Bangladesh, according to U.N. agencies.

Myanmar has denied the charges, saying its military launched a counter-insurgency operation after attacks on security posts by Muslim militants.</s>YANGON
• Buddhist Rakhine insurgents killed 13 policemen and injured nine in attacks on four police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state yesterday as the country marked Independence Day.

Fighting surged again in the state early last month between government forces and the rebel Arakan Army, which wants more autonomy for the Buddhist ethnic Rakhine minority.

The restive western state is also where a military-led crackdown in 2017 prompted hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The separate conflict between the military and Arakan Army rebels forced 2,500 civilians from their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

The official Myanmar News Agency said four police posts in the Buthidaung area in northern Rakhine came under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak yesterday. Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured as police were forced to abandon two of the posts, it said, adding that the military was now conducting a "clearance" of the area.

Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun said earlier that the insurgents had hit police outposts in a rugged region near the border with Bangladesh. "These police posts are there to protect the national races in the area so (Arakan Army rebels) shouldn't attack them," he said, referring to mostly Buddhist ethnic groups in the area who are, unlike Rohingya Muslims, considered Myanmar citizens.

Arakan Army spokesman Khine Thu Kha confirmed the assault and said the rebels later retrieved the bodies of seven "enemies". At least 12 members of the security forces detained in the fighting were later freed.

He said the attacks were in response to a military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians. The military last month announced a four-month halt to fighting in the north and north-east to kick-start peace talks with armed groups seeking ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine state.</s>YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured in early morning attacks Friday on police outposts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by the insurgent Arakan Army, state media reported. The Arakan Army is…

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured in early morning attacks Friday on police outposts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by the insurgent Arakan Army, state media reported.

The Arakan Army is a rebel group seeking autonomy for Rakhine state from Myanmar’s central government. It has no links with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Muslim insurgent group whose similar attacks in 2017 sparked a bloody government counterinsurgency campaign against the area’s Muslim Rohingya minority, driving more than 700,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

While the Muslim ARSA group has become virtually inactive, the Arakan Army, which is aligned with the state’s Buddhist population, has taken advantage of the area’s instability to increase its military activities after training its guerrillas in regions controlled by other insurgent groups, including the Kachin in northern Myanmar. There has been an upsurge in sporadic fighting between the Arakan Army and government forces since last month.

The state Myanmar News Agency said a total of 250 members of the Arakan Army took part in the attacks on three outposts in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. While such numbers are sometimes inflated by the defenders, the rebel group is generally estimated to have several thousand well-armed and organized uniformed members, in contrast to the ragtag ARSA.

The report said two of the outposts were successfully defended by government forces, but seemed to indicate that the third was temporarily overrun and occupied by the rebels, who were finally driven out with the help of air support.

According to the report, the attackers were able to carry away 40 small weapons, ammunition and a walkie-talkie.

A photo posted on social media by Arakan Army sympathizers claimed to show 14 government security personnel captured by the rebels, along with ammunition and other equipment.

This story has been corrected to fix spelling of Myanmar News Agency.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar state media say 13 policemen were killed and nine injured in early morning attacks Friday on police outposts in Rakhine state by the insurgent Arakan Army.

The Arakan Army is a rebel group seeking autonomy for Rakhine state from Myanmar's central government. It has no links with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Muslim insurgent group whose similar attacks in 2017 sparked a bloody government counterinsurgency campaign against the area's Muslim Rohingya minority, driving more than 700,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

While the Muslim ARSA group has become virtually inactive, the Arakan Army has taken advantage of the area's instability to increase its military activities after training its guerrillas in regions controlled by other insurgent groups, including the Kachin in northern Myanmar.</s>YANGON, Myanmar — Thirteen policemen were killed and nine injured in early morning attacks Friday on police outposts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by the insurgent Arakan Army, state media reported.

The Arakan Army is a rebel group seeking autonomy for Rakhine state from Myanmar’s central government. It has no links with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Muslim insurgent group whose similar attacks in 2017 sparked a bloody government counterinsurgency campaign against the area’s Muslim Rohingya minority, driving more than 700,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

While the Muslim ARSA group has become virtually inactive, the Arakan Army has taken advantage of the area’s instability to increase its military activities after training its guerrillas in regions controlled by other insurgent groups, including the Kachin in northern Myanmar. There has been an upsurge in sporadic fighting between the Arakan Army and government forces since last month.

The state Myanma News Agency said a total of 250 members of the Arakan Army took part in the attacks on three outposts in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. While such numbers are sometimes inflated by the defenders, the rebel group is generally estimated to have several thousand well-armed and organized uniformed members, in contrast to the ragtag ARSA.

The report said two of the outposts were successfully defended by government forces, but seemed to indicate that the third was temporarily overrun and occupied by the rebels, who were finally driven out with the help of air support.

According to the report, the attackers were able to carry away 40 small weapons, ammunition and a walkie-talkie.

A photo posted on social media by Arakan Army sympathizers claimed to show 14 government security personnel captured by the rebels, along with ammunition and other equipment.</s>Buddhist Rakhine fighters have killed 13 policemen and injured nine in attacks on police posts in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, the official news agency said.

The official Myanmar News Agency said four police posts in the Buthidaung area in northern Rakhine came under attack from hundreds of Arakan Army fighters after daybreak on Friday.

The western state has been torn by violence once again since early December, when fighting intensified between government forces and the AA, which wants more autonomy for the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic minority.

Rakhine was where a brutal military-led crackdown in 2017 drove hundreds of thousands of the mostly-Muslim Rohingya into bordering Bangladesh.

The recent fighting with the AA had forced 2,500 civilians to flee their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

Khine Thu Kha, spokesman for the rebels, told AFP news agency, that AA fighters retrieved seven corpses of "enemies" and took 14 members of the security forces captive during the raids.

He told Reuters later that the rebels had freed at least 12 members of the security forces it detained in the fighting.

The attacks were a response to a Myanmar military offensive against the AA in recent weeks that also targeted civilians, he added.

The military last month announced a four-month halt in fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with multiple armed groups fighting for ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine.

The AA has said the army is using the truce elsewhere to focus efforts on Rakhine.

But observers say no major troop redeployments have yet taken place.

The escalation of violence comes amid a series of unclaimed attacks and murders in recent weeks in northern Rakhine.

Unknown assailants murdered a policeman, while two ethnic Rakhine were found with their throats slit, prompting the army to launch localised "clearance operations".

Zaw Min Tun, Myanmar military spokesman, told Reuters that Friday's attacks targeted police posts in the northern parts of Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, a rugged area near the border with Bangladesh.

"The military will continue its operations in the area for security," he said, declining to confirm how many people were killed and captured by the armed group.

Zaw Min Tun said the attacks began minutes after the national flag was raised across Myanmar to mark 71 years since independence from Britain.

The AA's Khine Thu Kha said the attacks were not intended to coincide with the anniversary.

"We are not independent yet. Today is not our Independence Day," he said, referring to the Rakhine who he said faced discrimination in Myanmar.</s>YANGON: Thirteen Myanmar officers were killed in Friday morning's co-ordinated raids on police posts, the army said, in a brazen attack by scores of ethnic Rakhine rebels which adds a dangerous new dimension to conflict in the western state. Militants from the Arakan Army (AA), who are seeeking greater autonomy for their Buddhist ethnic group, swarmed four police stations in northern Rakhine state early on Friday "killing 13 police and wounding nine others," according to a statement released late Friday by the army chief's office.</s>YANGON: Buddhist Rakhine fighters killed seven Myanmar security forces in attacks on four police posts in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state on Friday (Jan 4) as the country marked Independence Day, spokesmen for the military and the armed group said.

The western state has been torn by violence once again since early December, when fighting intensified between government forces and the Arakan Army, which wants more autonomy for the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic minority.

Rakhine was where a brutal military-led crackdown in 2017 drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into bordering Bangladesh.

The recent fighting with the Arakan Army had forced 2,500 civilians to flee their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

Arakan Army spokesman Khine Thu Kha told Reuters the group attacked four police posts and later retrieved the corpses of seven "enemies".

The group also detained 12 Myanmar security force members, he said. "We will process them according to international law. We will not harm them," he said.

The attacks were a response to a Myanmar military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians, he said.

The Myanmar military last month announced a four-month halt in fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with multiple armed groups fighting for ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine.



Myanmar state media earlier reported an attack by the same group on Tuesday that seriously injured one policemen.

Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told Reuters security forces were responding to Friday's attacks, which targeted police posts in the northern parts of Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, a rugged area near the border with Bangladesh.

"The military will continue its operations in the area for security," he said, declining to confirm how many people were killed and captured by the armed group.

"These police posts are there to protect the national races in the area so shouldn't attack them," Zaw Min Tun said, referring to mostly Buddhist ethnic groups in the area that are recognised as Myanmar citizens. Those groups include the Rakhine but not the Rohingya.

Zaw Min Tun said the attacks began minutes after the national flag was raised across Myanmar to mark 71 years since independence from Britain.

The Arakan Army's Khine Thu Kha said the attacks were not intended to coincide with the anniversary.

"We are not independent yet. Today is not our Independence Day," he said, referring to the Rakhine who he said faced discrimination in Myanmar.</s>Buddhist Rakhine fighters have killed seven Myanmar security force members in attacks on four police posts in troubled Rakhine state, spokesmen for the military and the armed group say.

The western state has been torn by violence once again since early December, when fighting intensified between government forces and the Arakan Army, which wants more autonomy for the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic minority.

Rakhine was where a brutal military-led crackdown in 2017 drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into bordering Bangladesh.

The recent fighting with the Arakan Army had forced 2500 civilians to flee their homes by the end of last year, according to the United Nations.

Arakan Army spokesman Khine Thu Kha told Reuters the group attacked four police posts and later retrieved the corpses of seven "enemies".

The group also detained 12 Myanmar security force members, he said. "We will process them according to international law. We will not harm them," he said.

The attacks were a response to a Myanmar military offensive against the Arakan Army in recent weeks that had also targeted civilians, he said.

The Myanmar military last month announced a four-month halt in fighting in the north and northeast of the country to kick-start peace talks with multiple armed groups fighting for ethnic autonomy, but that announcement excluded Rakhine.

Myanmar state media earlier reported an attack by the same group on Tuesday that seriously injured one policemen.

Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told Reuters security forces were responding to Friday's attacks, which targeted police posts in the northern parts of Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, a rugged area near the border with Bangladesh.

"The military will continue its operations in the area for security," he said, declining to confirm how many people were killed and captured by the armed group.
The Arakan Army attacks four police posts in Rakhine State, Myanmar, killing 13 policemen and injuring 9 others.