Nearly 400 dead in Burma clashes

The Myanmar army said nearly 400 people have died in recent clashes between security forces and militants from the Rohingya minority group. In a statement, Myanmar’s military commander, Min Aung Hlaing, said the army engaged in 90 armed clashes with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in northwest Rakhine state, killing 399 people. All but 29 of those killed were the militants, Hlaing said. The United Nations said nearly 38,000 people have fled their homes in Myanmar, also known as Burma, since the conflict began on Aug. 25. On Thursday, a Bangladeshi guard commander said 26 women and children drowned as they tried to escape into neighboring Bangladesh. Rohingyas are a Muslim minority group that endures severe persecution in Burma, where they live as exiles without basic rights and citizenship. The Myanmar government views them as invaders from Bangladesh.