At least 32 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed in terror attacks on police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Friday, the army said in a statement.
At least 24 police posts in Maungtaw region were attacked with handmade bombs by terrorists. The attack took place one day after a commission chaired by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan presented a report to the Myanmar government which called for an end to sectarian violence in Rakhine and increased development in the region, Efe news reported.
The army's Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing said in a statement on Facebook that one soldier, 10 policemen and 21 militants died in the attacks. As many as 150 militants were said to be involved in the violence.
The attacks were claimed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which said it was retaliating to an ongoing Army offensive in the region.
"This is a legitimate step for us to defend the world's persecuted people and liberate the oppressed people from the hands of the oppressors!" said ARSA on Twitter.
The ARSA statement accused the Army of committing multiple murders, as well as looting and sexual violence in Rathedaung and Maungdaw over the past few weeks in order to derail the Kofi Annan commission report.
Annan condemned the attack and said it marked a "worrying escalation of violence".
"After years of insecurity and instability, it should be clear that violence is not the solution to the challenges that Rakhine State is facing," he said.
More than a million members of the Muslim minority Rohingyas reside in Rakhine, where they suffer growing discrimination due to the sectarian conflict which killed at least 160 people in 2012 and displaced nearly 120,000 Rohingyas living in 67 refugees camps, the report said.
2 CRPF personnel killed in attack by armed group in Manipur
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a Sub Inspector, were killed and two others have been injured after armed groups attacked a camp of security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early on Saturday, police said.
Land subsidence leaves 350 people homeless in J&K’s Ramban District
Over 350 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K’s) Ramban District abandoned their homes on Saturday after destruction of the houses due to land subsidence.
Houthi leader vows to continue maritime attacks, calls Indian Ocean 'new theatre of confrontation'
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, has vowed to continue its naval operations in the Red Sea, rejecting media reports suggesting a decrease in Houthi maritime attacks, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Second phase of Lok Sabha polls sees enthusiastic voter turnout from Jammu to Kerala, Maharashtra to Tripura
The BJP, holding a significant number of seats in this phase, considers these elections crucial for maintaining and expanding its influence to secure a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha.
EC suspends 26 Tripura govt staff for taking part in political events, violation of poll code
The Election Commission (EC) has so far suspended 26 Tripura government employees, including security personnel, for participating in political events, election campaigns, and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC),
Massive crowd greets PM Modi in Bareilly roadshow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a massive roadshow in Bareilly to garner support for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chhatrapal Gangwar.
Police revolver among large cache of arms seized from Sandeshkhali, claims CBI
A Colt official police revolver was among a large cache of firearms seized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from a house at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Paragans, the CBI claimed in a statement issued on Friday evening.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.