Myanmar army, rebels in deadly clash

A TNLA soldier takes position during clashes

Yangon: At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group yesterday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources said, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country. The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

The violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north. "Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured.

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