NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Myanmar’s army said on Friday it killed 13 ethnic Rakhine fighters in counterstrikes after the well-armed group carried out deadly attacks on police posts earlier this month. Rakhine state has seen new levels of violence in recent weeks between the Arakan Army (AA) -- insurgents fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists -- and security forces.
Many of the battles are taking place in the same region from which more than 720,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh after August 2017 when the army launched a crackdown the UN deemed ethnic cleansing.
On January 4, also Myanmar’s independence day, the AA launched pre-dawn raids that killed 13 police officers and wounded nine before the army stepped in, setting off violence that has displaced thousands. But the army hit back, killing the same number of AA rebels in total in operations from January 5-16.
Workers sort coal near a mine in Datong, Shanxi province, China, on Nov 3, 2021. — AFPKINSHASA: At least 10 people...
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attends a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses the crew of the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince Of Wales in front of...
People vote in the 2024 US presidential election on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio, US, November 5, 2024....
People gather at St Peter's Square, following the death of Pope Francis, at the Vatican, April 22, 2025. —...
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam. — Reuters/FileKYIV:...