Security forces yesterday captured three Arakan rebels and seized a big cache of arms and ammunition, including light machine gun (LMG), AK47 and M16 automatic rifles, from a den in the remote forests of Naikkhongchhari in the district. The cache includes one British-made LMG, one AK47 and five M16 rifles, two .303 rifles, seven Pakistan-made guns, 32 magazines and 7,000 bullets, said an official handout. | Apparently the Burmese are too proud to use shutter guns. |
This is the first time the law enforcers have disclosed the identity of any rebel although they have so far arrested around 30 foreign nationals from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border areas. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of army and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) raided the terrorist den on a hill of Bakkhali area, some 12km away from Bandarban sadar, and made the recovery. The troops comprising around 500 jawans from Ali Kadam Cantonment and Naikkhong-chhari BDR zone, led by zone Commander Lt Col Abdul Awal and Major Mobassar of the Ali Kadam Cantonment, in a surprise move stormed the den and captured the rebels, said BDR sources.