United States urges non-violent response from Myanmar forces after clashes with Rohingya militants leave 89 dead
Police fought off groups of as many as 100 attackers armed with guns, machetes and home-made grenades in Rakhine state
The United States has urged Myanmar authorities to avoid a response that would inflame tensions after an attack by Rohingya militants left 12 security personnel and 77 Rohingya Muslims dead.
The office of the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said on 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 who were armed with guns, machetes and home-made grenades. The captured weapons were shown in photos posted online by the government.
A witness in Maungdaw township in Rakhine state said soldiers entered her village at about 10am, burned homes and property and shot dead at least 10 people.
The witness, who asked to be identified only as Emmar, 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 late Friday evening.