Soldiers moved into the town on Monday night, marking an intensification of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where for the past few weeks security forces have waged a campaign against a militant group called the Arakan Army. While Rakhine State gained global attention after the army drove some 700,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh in late 2017, the ethnic Rakhine are largely Buddhist like the majority of Myanmar's people. The military said insurgents attacked a military convoy approaching Mrauk U before retreating into houses in the town. Myo Oo Khaung Sayataw, a monk in the town, said he had taken six wounded people to hospital on Monday night. “AA terrorists attacked a military convoy while the convoy was marching into Mrauk U town for security,” the statement said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 19, 2019 10:41 UTC