The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Defense Services announced on Facebook yesterday that “ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists” are planning to carry out attacks in Myanmar’s major cities with the help of a foreign government.
“A plot is reportedly being hatched in a foreign country supporting terrorism to carry out terrorist attacks in inner parts of Myanmar,” the Facebook post said. It also said the attacks are being timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly later this month in an effort to “catch global attention […] to the Bengali issue.”
The Office of the Commander-in-Chief claims that some people from Myanmar “were sent to another country about four months ago to take terrorism courses” and are now experts in making improvised explosive devices.
“They are reportedly preparing to launch terrorist attacks in Myanmar’s major cities, including Naypyidaw, Yangon, Mandalay, and Mawlamyine,” the military office said.
The military’s mentioning of a “foreign country supporting terrorism” came on the same day as a report published by Mizzima, which cites unnamed Indian and Bangladeshi sources claiming that Pakistan and the Islamic State supported the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in attacking dozens of police outposts in the early hours of August 25, which sparked the current conflict and humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State.
The Mizzima report claims that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) helped train ARSA fighters in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It also claims that an Islamic State recruiter in Iraq “wished ARSA the best in its jihad against the Burmese colonialists, Buddhist and Hindu fanatics” in a phone call intercepted by Indian intelligence.
Yesterday afternoon, Myanmar government spokesperson Zaw Htay endorsed the report on Twitter, though neither the governments of India and Bangladesh nor any other media outlets have confirmed the claims.
ARSA &(ISIS and ISI) problems for Aung San Suu Kyi govt committed committee to implement recommendations Kofi Annan https://t.co/tKIpTMy6we pic.twitter.com/1iPnXtto8t
— Zaw Htay (@ZawHtayMyanmar) September 5, 2017
