Irrawaddy-Sept 23
Arakan Army (AA) Commander-in-Chief Major General Tun Myat Naing has accused elements in the Bangladesh’s border security forces of backing Rohingya insurgents in coordinated attacks on an AA base.
In an exclusive interview with The Irrawaddy, he said fighters from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) launched an assault on the base in Maungdaw Township, northern Rakhine State on the night of Sept. 18. The assault “backed by some Bangladeshi officials” came as the AA is struggling to restore order in areas it liberated from the regime in Rakhine State, the AA chief said.
“Bangladeshi military officers who support militants on the other side of the border told them to attack us,” he said. He said the Bangladeshi officials instructed the Muslim militants to attack Taungpyo, which is near the Bangladeshi border, or failing that AA positions north of Taungpyo. In a statement on Sept. 19, the AA said the long, porous border has allowed ARSA and RSO fighters to infiltrate Maungdaw, where they have abducted and killed non-Muslim locals, or kidnapped them for ransom, and spread misinformation. ARSA is a fanatical Muslim insurgent group active in northern Rakhine and has been accused of crimes including the 2017 massacre of Hindu villagers and killings in refugee camps in Bangladesh. It has been declared a terrorist organization by Myanmar and Malaysia. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/aa-chief-accuses-bangladesh-officials-of-inciting-rohingya-insurgent-attacks.html
