Myanmar to withdraw troops from parts of Rakhine state

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar

Myanmar’s military announced on Thursday it is withdrawing soldiers from western Rakhine state amid mounting international pressure over its campaign against Rohingya Muslims.

The United Nations has accused Myanmar of allowing its security forces to engage in ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on police and soldiers in the Maugndaw area of Rakhine state on Aug. 25.

Since that date, some 603,000 Rohingya have crossed from Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

The office of Myanmar's commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said some military columns carrying out "clearance operations" would be withdrawn from Buthidaung and Maungtaw townships.

It also claimed "engagements" with rebels had decreased after Sept. 5 but did not further details on the withdrawal plan.

"Stability has been restored to a certain extent, but the withdrawn columns will be deployed as an auxiliary force in state capital Sittwe," it said.

According to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the Myanmar crackdown.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.