Image copyright Reuters Image caption There is a heavy military presence in Rakhine state

Attacks by militants on police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state have left 71 people, including 12 security personnel, dead, the authorities say.

More than 20 posts were targeted by Muslim militants in pre-dawn raids, the government said, in Rakhine's worst violence for months.

Rakhine has been hit by clashes between Muslim and Buddhist communities.

The attacks come a day after a report warned more people would be radicalised if ethnic tensions were not addressed.

Rakhine state, in western Myanmar, is home to more than a million Rohingya Muslims.

Tensions with the majority Buddhist population have been rumbling for years, and tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, accusing Myanmar authorities of ethnic persecution.

A government statement said that "extremist Bengali insurgents attacked a police station in Maungdaw region in northern Rakhine state with a handmade bomb explosive and held co-ordinated attacks on several police posts at 01:00".

The government uses the term "Bengali" to describe the stateless Rohingya, because it maintains they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The government said one soldier, one immigration officer, 10 policemen and 59 militants were killed in the fighting. As many as 150 militants are said to have been involved.

One resident in Maungdaw told AFP news agency on Friday that they could still hear shooting and were afraid to leave the house.

Bangladesh's border guard service says it has sent back 350 Rohingya who have tried to cross into Bangladesh since the raids. It also said security was being increased along the border in the wake of the attacks.

This is the most significant outbreak of violence in Rakhine since October 2016, when nine policemen died in similar attacks on border posts. The government said they were carried out by a previously unknown Rohingya militant group.

The attacks triggered a military crackdown that led to widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture of Rohingya, and an exodus of Rohingya into Bangladesh. The UN is currently investigating alleged human rights abuses by the security forces, who deny wrongdoing.

Rakhine is the poorest state in Myanmar, the UN says. Many Rohingya are living in refugee camps in the wake of waves of communal violence, and there is deep mistrust between Buddhist and Muslim communities.

On Thursday, former UN chief Kofi Annan warned in a report that a "calibrated response" combining political, security and economic initiatives was needed in Rakhine state to reduce ethnic tensions and prevent more violence.

In a statement on Friday he condemned the attacks and said they showed "a worrying escalation of violence".</s>The night after a series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents in northern Rakhine State, frightened residents of one area found themselves trapped by attackers’ land mines, and those evacuated from another area gathered in a nearby town patrolled by the army and police.

Authorities said police posts came under attack in the early hours Friday by an estimated 150 insurgents armed with guns and homemade explosives. The attackers were believed to be Muslim, a minority in Rakhine State, where a religious divide centers on the stateless Rohingya, who are disdained by many Buddhists and seen as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

The attacks resulted in at least 71 deaths, with Burmese officials saying 59 of them were insurgents and the rest security personnel.

Members of the local Buddhist community, who are a minority in the Maungdaw area, spent a fearful night after officials warned them that attackers had mined roads in the rugged coastal area.

“We don’t want people to get hurt,” Maung Ohn, the Maungdaw representative in the Rakhine State legislature, told VOA Burmese. “Now they are trapped inside the town.”

One Maungdaw resident, a provincial government employee, told VOA that although Buddhist Rakhines fear for their safety, “there is no way out of here. We heard about land mines and roadside bombs planted along main roads. Not even one vehicle dares to drive to Buthee Taung, two hours away. We can’t go until the mines are cleared.”

Some areas of Buthee Taung remain outside official control, said Tun Aung Thein, who represents the town in the legislature. “There are places in a Buthee Taung suburb where security forces cannot reach, and people from there have moved into the town proper. That’s where about 100 people from three villages, Thabeit Taung, Kin Chaung and Thabawh Chaung, have taken refuge, too.

“We’ve got the army and police patrolling the downtown area because everyone’s worried … because the attacks last night were around 1:30 in the morning. Nobody dares to sleep. They are frightened,” Tun Aung Thein said.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for the assaults, and warned of more.

ARSA, previously known as Harakah al-Yaqin, or “Faith Movement,” emerged last October claiming to lead an insurgency based in the remote May Yu mountain range bordering Bangladesh.

Myanmar’s commander in chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, said on his Facebook page late Friday that the attacks were planned to coincide with the release of a report by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and to gain attention during the General Assembly next month.

After the attacks, government forces evacuated several dozen government staffers and their families, as well as some 400 villagers from near the Nanthataung Philanthropic School, according to the State Counsellor Office Information Committee in Rangoon.

“It is clear that today’s attacks are a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine State. We must not allow our work to be derailed by the violent actions of extremists,” she said.

The violence follows the release of a report by the Annan commission on the conditions in Rakhine State.

The report urged the government to take immediate action to heal the divides and to abolish the restrictions of movement and citizenship imposed on 1 million Rohingya in Rakhine.

After meeting with Annan on Thursday, General Min Aung Hlaing expressed displeasure with the findings, saying Annan and others had failed to understand what was happening on the ground in Rakhine.

Annan commission member Aye Lwin, a prominent Muslim and interfaith leader, told VOA Burmese on Friday that the army and police need to mount a security operation in the area to prevent further attacks.

“I think the best way to resolve this conflict is to implement our recommendation as soon as possible,” Lwin said. “As militant attacks escalate in Rakhine State, we need to tackle the situation from all angles. Any clearance or security operation must be handled systematically but wisely and delicately if this is to be contained.”

The U.N. condemned Friday's attacks and said they confirm "the significance of the government's commitment to implement" the Annan commission recommendations.

Amnesty International said the attacks marked a dangerous escalation of violence in the area.

"We urge all sides to show the utmost restraint and ensure that ordinary people are protected from human rights violations and abuses," the rights group said.

The area of Rakhine closest to Bangladesh has been in lockdown since October 2016, when years of friction between the Rohingya and Myanmar's Buddhist majority exploded with a military crackdown in response to attacks on border police stations that left nine police officers dead. During the crackdown, thousands of Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh, complaining of systematic killings, arson and rapes by Myanmar military forces.

The U.N. said the security forces' clearances have amounted to ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.

The army and the Myanmar’s civilian government deny allegations of widespread abuses, including rapes and murders.</s>In this image made from video, a man lying on a bed with a bandaged hand is cared for in a hospital in Buthidaung township, Myanmar, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Ethnic Rohingya militants armed with guns and machetes attacked Myanmar security forces at several police and border outposts overnight in a troubled western state, has left a number of people dead according to police. (DVB via AP)

In this image made from video, a man lying on a bed with a bandaged hand is cared for in a hospital in Buthidaung township, Myanmar, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Ethnic Rohingya militants armed with guns and machetes attacked Myanmar security forces at several police and border outposts overnight in a troubled western state, has left a number of people dead according to police. (DVB via AP)

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An attack by ethnic Rohingya militants in western Myanmar left 12 security personnel and 77 Rohingya Muslims dead in a dramatic escalation of communal violence that has plagued the region, as the United States urged authorities to avoid a response that would inflame the tensions.

The office of the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said Friday that military and border police responded to the attacks by launching “clearance operations.”

Police fought off groups of as many as 100 Rohingya attackers armed with guns, machetes and homemade grenades. The captured weapons were shown in photos posted online by the government.

A witness in Maungdaw township in Rakhine state, contacted by phone, said soldiers entered her village at about 10 a.m. Friday, burned homes and property, and shot dead at least 10 people.

The witness, who asked to be identified by her nickname, Emmar, because of fear of retribution, said villagers fled in many directions but mostly to a nearby mountain range. She said gunshots and explosions could be heard and smoke could still be seen Friday evening.

A militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, took responsibility for the Thursday night attacks on more than 25 locations, saying they were in defense of Rohingya communities that had been brutalized by government forces. It issued its statement on Twitter on an account deemed legitimate by advocates of Rohingya rights.

Suu Kyi called the attacks “a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington that as security forces act to prevent further violence and bring the perpetrators to justice, they should respect the rule of law and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

She said the attacks underscored the importance of the government implementing recommendations of a commission chaired by former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, which published its final report on Thursday recommending that the government act quickly to improve economic development and social justice in Rakhine state to resolve violence between Buddhists and the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi’s office said on its Facebook page that the attacks were intended to coincide with the release of Annan’s report.

The clashes were deadlier than an attack by the militants on three border posts last October that killed nine policemen and set off months of brutal counterinsurgency operations by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya communities in Rakhine state. Human rights groups accused the army of carrying out massive human rights abuses including killing, rape and burning down more than 1,000 homes and other buildings.

The army’s abuses fueled further resentment toward the government among the Muslim Rohingya, most of whom are considered by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and its rights. ARSA took advantage of the resentment by stepping up recruitment of members.

The Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the targets of violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people — predominantly Rohingya — from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remain.

According to the United Nations, more than 80,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since last October’s clashes.

Annan also condemned the new attacks, saying “no cause can justify such brutality and senseless killing” and urging the government to exercise restraint and “ensure that innocent civilians are not harmed.”</s>YANGON, Myanmar — Ethnic Rohingya militants in western Myanmar launched overnight attacks on more than two dozen police and border outposts, leaving 12 security personnel and 59 Rohingya dead, the government said Friday, in a dramatic escalation of fighting in the troubled region.

The office of the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said military and border police responded to the attacks by launching “clearance operations.”

Police fought off groups of as many as 100 Rohingya attackers armed with guns, machetes and homemade grenades. The captured weapons were shown in photos posted online by the government.

A witness in Maungdaw township in Rakhine state, contacted by phone, said soldiers entered her village at about 10 a.m. Friday, burned homes and property, and shot dead at least 10 people.

The witness, who asked to be identified by her nickname, Emmar, because of fear of retribution, said villagers fled in many directions but mostly to a nearby mountain range. She said gunshots and explosions could be heard and smoke could still be seen Friday evening.

A militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, took responsibility for the overnight attacks on more than 25 locations, saying they were in defense of Rohingya communities that had been brutalized by government forces. It issued its statement on Twitter on an account deemed legitimate by advocates of Rohingya rights.

Suu Kyi called the attacks “a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state.”

The clashes were deadlier than an attack by the militants on three border posts last October that killed nine policemen and set off months of brutal counterinsurgency operations by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya communities in Rakhine state. Human rights groups accused the army of carrying out massive human rights abuses including killing, rape and burning down more than 1,000 homes and other buildings.

The army’s abuses fueled further resentment toward the government among the Muslim Rohingya, most of whom are considered by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and its rights. ARSA took advantage of the resentment by stepping up recruitment of members.

The Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the targets of violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people — predominantly Rohingya — from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remain.

According to the United Nations, more than 80,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since last October’s clashes.

Thursday night’s attacks began a few hours after a Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan released its final report and recommended that the government act quickly to improve economic development and social justice in Rakhine state to resolve violence between Buddhists and the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi’s office said on its Facebook page that the attacks were intended to coincide with the release of Annan’s report.

ARSA also referred to the report, saying the army in recent weeks had stepped up activity in order to derail any attempt to implement the recommendations.

The announcement from Suu Kyi’s office said 30 police outposts had been attacked. It said in addition to the 12 dead security personnel, 11 people on the government side had been injured, three seriously. It said the attackers had seized six guns. The statement also said the attackers destroyed refugee camps and burned down homes.

The Rakhine Advisory Commission, established in August 2016 at Suu Kyi’s behest, said the situation in Rakhine state is becoming more precarious and requires a sustained and coordinated effort by civilian and military authorities. The commission has six members from Myanmar and three foreigners, including Annan.

“Unless concerted action led by the government and aided by all sectors of the government and society is taken soon, we risk the return of another cycle of violence and radicalization, which will further deepen the chronic poverty that afflicts Rakhine state,” Annan said at a news conference in Yangon to present the report.

On Friday, Annan condemned the new attacks and said he was saddened to hear about the loss of life among security forces.

“The alleged scale and gravity of these attacks mark a worrying escalation of violence. No cause can justify such brutality and senseless killing. Perpetrators should be held to account. I urge the security forces to exercise restraint in dealing with the situation and above all ensure that innocent civilians are not harmed.

“After years of insecurity and instability, it should be clear that violence is not the solution to the challenges facing Rakhine state,” he said.</s>Amnesty International has spoken of concern over escalating violence in Rakhine State, according to a press release on August 25.

Responding to the attacks by Rohingya militants in Myanmar which left at least 32 people, including 11 security personnel, dead, Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s Deputy Campaigns Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

“These attacks are a dangerous escalation in violence and could put ordinary people in Rakhine State at risk, in particular as tensions have been reaching a boiling point in the region recently. We urge all sides to show the utmost restraint and ensure that ordinary people are protected from human rights violations and abuses.

“The investigation into these criminal acts must be prompt, thorough and effective, and comply with international human rights standards. Any prosecutions must respect fair trial rights and not result in the death penalty.”

Mr Benedict mentioned concern over the possibility of a repeat of alleged reprisals being carried out against Rohingya civilians.

“It is crucial that the government makes every effort to address the long-standing and systematic discrimination in Rakhine State, which has left people trapped in a cycle of violence and destitution. As a first step, authorities must push forward with implementing recommendations outlined in the recent report by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State,” he said.</s>At least 71 killed in Myanmar as Rohingya insurgents stage major attack

Muslim militants in Myanmar staged a coordinated attack on 30 police posts and an army base in Rakhine state on Friday, and at least 59 of the insurgents and 12 members of the security forces were killed, the army and government said.

The fighting - still going on in some areas - marked a major escalation in a simmering conflict in the northwestern state since last October, when similar attacks prompted a big military sweep beset by allegations of serious human rights abuses.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group previously known as Harakah al-Yaqin, which instigated the October attacks, claimed responsibility for the early morning offensive, and warned of more.

The treatment of approximately 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya has emerged as majority Buddhist Myanmar’s most contentious human rights issue as it makes a transition from decades of harsh military rule.

It now appears to have spawned a potent insurgency which has grown in size, observers say.

They worry that the attacks - much larger and better organized than those in October - will spark an even more aggressive army response and trigger communal clashes between Muslims and Buddhist ethnic Rakhines.

A news team affiliated with the office of national leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said that one soldier, one immigration officer, 10 policemen and 59 insurgents had been killed in the fighting.

“In the early morning at 1 a.m., the extremist Bengali insurgents started their attack on the police post ... with the man-made bombs and small weapons,” said the army in a separate statement, referring to the Rohingya by a derogatory term implying they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

The militants also used sticks and swords and destroyed bridges with explosives, the army said.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship and are seen by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite claiming roots in the region that go back centuries, with communities marginalized and occasionally subjected to communal violence.</s>At least 71 people, including 12 Myanmar government troops, were killed when militants claiming to fight for the political rights of the oppressed Rohingya Muslims staged attacks on more than two dozen border posts in northern Rakhine State, triggering a new wave of refugees to Bangladesh, officials said Friday.

It was the deadliest single-day toll since fighting between the rebel group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and security forces erupted last October, killing nine policemen and setting off a counter-insurgency campaign by the authorities.

Among the dead were one security staffer, 10 policemen, a deputy township officer and 59 militants, according to a statement issued by the office of Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Eleven people were injured in the attacks, three of them seriously, and one “terrorist” was arrested, it said. The statement did not mention how many militants were involved in the attack.

On its Facebook page, Aung San Suu Kyi’s office said the deadly attacks were intended to coincide with Thursday’s release of a report by the Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which recommended that the government act quickly to improve economic development and social justice in Rakhine state to end the violence between ethnic Buddhists and the Mulsim Rohingyas.

“The military and police personnel are fighting back against extremist Bengali terrorists,” military chief Min Aung Hlaing said on Facebook, using a term used by the government to describe the stateless Rohingyas, because it maintains they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

“It is clear that today’s attacks are a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state,” Aung San Suu Kyi said. “We must not allow our work to be derailed by the violent actions of extremists.”

ARSA took responsibility for the attacks on 30 border posts, saying they were launched in defense of Rohingya communities that had been allegedly brutalized by government forces.

“Burma has been ramping up military in Arakan state since last few weeks in order to derail the ‘Kofi Annan Commission Report and Recommendations’ by triggering an unrest in the state,” ARSA said on its Twitter page. “Therefore, we have tried our best to avoid any potential conflict meanwhile.”

It accused the military and security forces deployed in two areas of molesting Rohingya women while carrying out raids, killings and lootings in many Rohingya villages across the townships.

Special to BenarNews

 Jesmin Papri and Pulack Ghatack in Dhaka and Abdur Rahman in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh contributed to this report.

Copyright ©2017, BenarNews. Used with the permission of BenarNews.</s>New York (ABC Live): Rakhine State : United Nations Secretary-general António Guterres today strongly condemned the attacks carried out against the Myanmar security forces in northern areas of Rakhine State, expressing concern about escalating tensions in the region.

In a statement from his spokesperson, the Secretary-General called the attacks “unacceptable” and said he hoped those responsible would be brought to justice.

Mr. Guterres “reiterates the importance of addressing the root causes of violence, in particular issues related to identity and citizenship, and reducing inter-communal tensions,” his spokesperson said. “He strongly urges all the communities in Rakhine State to choose the path of peace.”

The statement also noted, however, that while taking the necessary measures to curb attacks by criminal elements in the region, forces much protect civilians at all times, in line with international humanitarian and human rights law.

Also today, Resident Coordinator Renata Lok-Dessallien – the top UN humanitarian official in Myanmar – condemned in the strongest terms the series of coordinated attacks in Rakhine State.

The Resident Coordinator urged all parties to refrain from violence, protect civilians, restore law and order and resolve issues through dialogue and peaceful means, according to a spokesperson from the UN Office in Geneva.

“The grave events confirmed the significance of the government’s commitment to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine state for the betterment of all communities,” spokesperson Alessandra Vellucci said.

Yesterday, the Advisory Commission, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, released a report outlining recommendations for how to overcome political, socio-economic and humanitarian challenges.</s>YANGON: At least 21 insurgents and 11 members of the security forces were killed in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Friday when militants staged a major coordinated attack on 24 police posts and an army base, the military said.

The fighting - still going on in some areas - marked a major escalation in a simmering conflict in the northwestern state since last October, when similar attacks prompted a big military sweep beset by allegations of serious rights abuses.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group previously known as Harakah al-Yaqin, or "Faith Movement", which instigated the October attacks, claimed responsibility for the early morning offensive, and warned of more attacks.

The treatment of approximately 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya has emerged as majority Buddhist Myanmar's most contentious human rights issue as it makes a transition from decades of harsh military rule.

It now appears to have spawned a potent insurgency.

The situation in the state deteriorated early this month when security forces began a new "clearance operation" in a remote mountain area.

The army said that one soldier, 10 policemen and 21 insurgents had been killed in the attacks. Two military sources contacted by Reuters said there may be more deaths.

"The extremist Bengali insurgents attacked a police station in Maungdaw region in northern Rakhine state with a handmade bomb explosive and held coordinated attacks on several police posts at 1 a.m.," a news team affiliated with the office of national leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a statement, using the derogatory term "Bengali" to refer to Rohingya.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship and are seen by many in Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite claiming roots in the region that go back centuries, with communities marginalized and occasionally subjected to communal violence.

The military counter-offensive in October resulted in some 87,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, where they joined many others who have fled from Myanmar over the past two decades or more.

The United Nations said Myanmar's security forces likely committed crimes against humanity in the offensive that began in October.

The government news team listed 24 police posts that had come under attack, adding police and the military were continuing to fight the insurgents.

It said about 150 Rohingya attackers had attempted to break into a military base, prompting the army to fight back.

"They were planning to attack because we have found their camps, the caves and the bombs and masks inside the caves," said Myanmar police headquarters spokesman Colonel Myo Thu Soe, referring to recent discoveries of what the government described as militant training camps.

Military sources in Rakhine State told Reuters they estimated the number of insurgents in the offensive was five-times the October attacks, with about 1,000 fighters likely to have taken part.

The ARSA group was formed by Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia after a bout of serious communal violence in 2012, according to the International Crisis Group.

Its leader, Ata Ullah, has said hundreds of young Rohingya men have joined the group, which claims to be waging a legitimate defence against the army and for human rights.

"We have been taking our defensive actions against the Burmese marauding forces in more than 25 different places across the region. More soon!," the group in a statement posted on a Twitter account believed to be linked to it.

The Friday attack encompassed both Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships in the remote northern part of the state - a much wider area compared with October.

The Myanmar military sources also said that while they were still trying to gather information from some areas, the fighting appeared to have subsided since dawn.

Over the last several months the government has accused the insurgents of instigating a campaign of terror against village chiefs and killing government informers, disrupting government information networks.

"The insurgents were able to organise such a huge attack because they were successful in organising the information blackout," said one of the military sources.

"It's an extremely serious situation which could lead to a major crisis. It's not easy to know what has happened, but it's clearly very worrying," said Yangon-based analyst and former U.N. diplomat in Myanmar Richard Horsey.

The attacks took place hours after a panel led by the former U.N. chief Kofi Annan advised the government on long-term solutions for the violence-riven state.

Annan's team said in a report Myanmar should respond to a crisis over its Muslim Rohingya community in a "calibrated" way without excessive force.</s>At least 12 people have died in a series of coordinated attacks by insurgents on police posts and an army base in Myanmar.

At least five police and seven Rohingya Muslim insurgents have been killed in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the government says, after militants staged coordinated attacks on 24 police posts and tried breaking into an army base.

The overnight attacks mark a dramatic escalation in a conflict simmering in Rakhine since last October, when similar attacks that killed nine police prompted a massive military counter-offensive beset by allegations of civilian killings, rape and arson.

The military operation then resulted in some 87,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh and the United Nations accused Myanmar's security forces of likely committing crimes against humanity.
Government officials in Myanmar report that 12 security personnel (ten policemen, one soldier and one immigration officer) and 59 Rohingya insurgents were killed overnight during coordinated attacks by insurgents on at least 26 police posts and an army base in Rakhine State.