Rohingya killed by Myanmar’s mortar shells across border with Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh

One Rohingya was killed while six were injured late Friday by mortar shells allegedly thrown by the Myanmar army across the border with Bangladesh, an official told Anadolu Agency.

“We have been confirmed about one death and several injuries and we have been boosting security measures on the borderlines,” Deputy Commissioner of the border district of Bandarban, Yasmin Parvin Tibriji, told Anadolu Agency.

She said officials informed higher authorities and took measures as per directions of the government.

The deceased Rohingya has been identified as Mohammad Iqbal, 17, according to sources,

Heavy fighting has been witnessed for more than one month in the hilly forest areas inside Myanmar across Bangladesh’s southeastern border district of the Bandarban’s Gumdhum area between the Myanmar army and the rebel group, Arakan Army.

Myanmar army’s mortar shells and bullets have landed inside Bangladesh.

Bangladesh summoned Myanmar’s envoy to Dhaka and said no bullets should land in Bangladesh.

The persecuted Rohingya have alleged that Myanmar has intentionally started to shell camps to create panic to deter repatriation efforts.

“The Myanmar army knows very well that over 4,500 Rohingya have been living at camps in the no man’s land since August 2017 and they have intentionally thrown mortar shells at us so that we are scared and never think of going back to our homeland,” Rohingya community leader Dil Mohammad told Anadolu Agency.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.2 million persecuted Rohingya who fled a brutal military clampdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2017.