By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar

At least 19 people including 14 civilians were killed Saturday in an attack in a remote town in Myanmar near the border with China, according to officials.

The ethnic rebel group Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) said they launched surprise attacks on three military outposts near and in Muse, a major trading town in northeastern Shan state, earlier in the day.

The group said in a press release on its Facebook page that the attacks were in response to the growing militarization in the region and heavy military offensives against their allies -- the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Kachin state.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as fighting between the military and KIA has escalated in Kachin state over the past few weeks.

TNLA said in its second press release after the attacks that five members of the group were slightly injured.

Myanmar military said a police officer, four militants, 14 civilians including two women were killed in the attacks.

“Twenty-seven others including 18 civilians were also injured,” said a statement from the office of military chief Sen. Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

A staff member at a police station in Muse said two officers were found dead with gunshot wounds.

“One is our officer,” said the police officer, who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak about the attacks, earlier Saturday.

Sai Tun Ko Ko, a resident and member of ruling National league for Democracy (NLD) in Muse, said he witnessed rescue workers removing bodies after the fighting.

“I saw them carrying at least 14 bodies. Some were civilians. Some were militia members," he told Anadolu Agency by phone.

The TNLA, along with three allied ethnic rebel groups -- KIA, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA) -- attacked military checkpoints, police outposts and the 105th Mile Trade Zone in Muse in Shan state in November 2016.