DHAKA: The Bangladeshi military said on Friday troops opened fire after being shot at by a tribal group during ethnic violence in a remote border region, with authorities and witnesses saying at least four people killed.
The remote Chittagong Hill Tracts region that borders India and Myanmar has seen sporadic violence between tribal groups and newer Bengali-speaking arrivals from the plains over resources and access to land.
The latest violence was set off by the lynching of a Bengali-speaking man purportedly caught stealing a motorbike, according to local residents and Bangladeshi media.
In retaliation, shops and establishments owned by the tribal community were attacked and set on fire.
Bangladesh´s military said members of the United People´s Democratic Front rebel group “opened fire on an army patrol” as the tribal community led by the UPDF tried to stop soldiers from ferrying a dying man to the hospital.
“In retaliation, they (soldiers) fired back, leading to the deaths,” a military statement said.
“Three people died and many were injured in the exchange of fire” between troops and the United People´s Democratic Front (UPDF) rebel group, the statement said, without specifying who was killed.