Rakhine rebels kill nine in fresh strike on Myanmar police

Villagers heard gunfire as fighters from the armed group, which recruits from the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group, raided a police post in the village of Yoe Ta Yoke late on Saturday night.The village's administrator San Aung Thein confirmed nine police were killed by the Arakan Army there, but said he did not have additional details about the attack.Reuters was unable to reach police officials for comment.The insurgent Arakan Army killed 13 police in a similar attack further north in January and has frequently clashed with Myanmar security forces since December.Myanmar's leaders vowed to crush the rebels, who are fighting for autonomy for Rakhine, but clashes have spread to new areas, displacing more than 5,000 people in all. Authorities have declared large parts of the north of the state off-limits to most aid agencies.Saturday night's attack took place about 50 km north of the Rakhine state capital Sittwe, along the main road connecting the city with the rest of Myanmar.A villager in his fifties told Reuters that two policemen stationed at the post survived the attack, which took place shortly after 11 p.m."The battle went on for about 20 minutes," said the villager, who asked not to be named. "I was in village at that time and I heard gun shots, but the villagers didn’t run away."