Myanmar says 34 people killed after they attacked troops
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s government said Monday that 34 people were killed after they attacked government troops in Rakhine state over the weekend, but residents of the villages belonging to the Muslim Rohingya minority said the victims they saw were unarmed civilians.
The government has been conducting counterinsurgency operations since nine police were killed in attacks last month on guard posts along the border with Bangladesh generally blamed on Muslim insurgents. Tensions have been high in Rakhine since fighting in 2012 between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
The government said in a statement that 28 people described as violent attackers were killed Sunday in Maungdaw district. An earlier statement said six attackers died on Saturday, in addition to two government soldiers. The attackers weren’t identified, but the army has aligned with Rakhine Buddhists against the Rohingya.
A Rohingya from Kyein Chaung village contacted by phone said he saw a police truck taking at least six bodies from the village on Sunday.