20 children injured as mortar hits Myanmar school

YANGON: Around 20 children were injured Thursday when mortar fire hit a primary school in the northern fringes of Myanmar´s Rakhine state, an area where the military is locked in battle with Arakan Army (AA) rebels.

The attack happened in Buthidaung township, one of several areas in lockdown, and it is not clear who was responsible. Scores of civilians have been killed, hundreds injured and some 100,000 displaced since January last year when both sides stepped up operations.

The AA claims to be fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. Teacher Thar Aye Maung from Khamwe village told AFP by phone how his school was hit Thursday morning, injuring 21 pupils. "One girl is badly hurt. Most of the others have injuries to their hands and legs." He said all the wounded children were ethnic Khami, a Buddhist minority in a state with a complex patchwork of different groups living alongside the Rakhine.

The fighting was about two miles away from the village, he added. "We thought the shells couldn´t reach our school." Maungdaw district chief Soe Aung confirmed the incident, but said 19 children had been wounded.

There was "no reason" to believe the mortar had been fired by the military, said Western command spokesman Colonel Win Zaw Oo, adding the army sometimes loses weapons and ammunition to the rebels. "(The AA) fires at villages with our shells and then misleadingly claims the military is responsible."