Militants kill nine police, seize weapons in Myanmar

At least nine police and seven militants have been killed during a series of attacks on security forces in northern Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township on Sunday, Myanmar police officials said.

The three attacks targeted border police posts along Myanmar's border with Bangladesh and reportedly appeared to be co-ordinated.

Police Major General Zaw Win told a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw that four officers were injured and one missing in the attacks, in addition to the nine killed. Eight attackers were killed and two arrested, he said, while escaping assailants made off with 51 guns and 10,000 bullets.

They were said to be armed mainly with knives and home-made slingshots that fire iron bolts.

The region has been plagued by interethnic and sectarian violence since Myanmar relaxed decades of military rule in 2010.

Police said those responsible were from the persecuted Rohingya minority group.

Win did not explain their motivations or name a specific group.