Before dawn on Oct. 9, several hundred Muslim men gathered in northern Rakhine State to wage attacks on police posts near the border with Bangladesh. Armed with crude weapons and about 30 aging firearms, they raided three posts and made off with about 62 guns and considerable ammunition. Nine policemen and eight attackers were killed; two were captured.
The long-planned operation was launched prematurely, when the group's leaders realized that authorities had been tipped off, according to a detailed investigation by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. It was the first known operation of the group, which called itself Harakah al-Yaqin, or "Faith Movement," in YouTube videos posted afterward. It was also the first concrete sign of organized armed resistance by a Rohingya group in decades.
The group is thought to number 400 to 600 men. Led by Rohingya veterans from Saudi Arabia, the operation was expertly planned, showing a high degree of discipline and coordination. More important, it signaled a new phase in the troubled history of Rakhine State and official oppression of the Rohingya, who are regarded as interlopers from neighboring Bangladesh, even though many have resided in Myanmar for generations. (Courtesy of asia.nikkei.com)
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