Myanmar rebels claim killing junta troops

YANGON: A Myanmar ethnic rebel group said on Tuesday it had captured 14 junta troops and killed an unspecified number, in the latest blow to a fragile peace in the only region to have seen no post-coup crackdown.

Days after its putsch last year, the junta reaffirmed a ceasefire with the Arakan Army, which has for years fought a war for autonomy for Rakhine state’s ethnic Rakhine population. Thanks to the truce, the western state was a rare spot of respite, in a country that has seen the majority of its population push back against military rule as the junta cracks down violently against dissent. The spokesman said several troops were killed in the clashes, without giving a specific figure. AFP was unable to reach a junta spokesman for comment.