2 killed inside Bangladesh by Myanmar mortar shelling

Two people were killed on Monday after mortar shells reportedly fired from Myanmar landed and exploded on Bangladesh side along the Ghumdhum border of Bandarban.

As fighting intensified between rebel forces and the junta in the neighbouring conflict-torn country, the explosion occurred around 2:20pm when a shell hit an under-construction house in Jolpaitali village of the hill district.

The deceased were identified as the house owner, Hosneara Begum, 60, wife of local market trader Badshah Mia, and Nabi Hossain, a Rohingya labourer who was working on-site.

"My sister was in the kitchen serving food to the elderly Rohingya worker when we heard a loud noise. As we rushed there, we saw the elderly man with a severed hand, and he died on the spot. My sister passed away while we were taking her to the hospital," Shah Alam, the cousin of Hosneara Begum, told The Business Standard.

The sound of gunfire could be heard from across the Myanmar border, many residents on the Bangladeshi side of the border have fled to the houses of relatives further away from violence out of fear.

Panic has gripped the refugee camps in Myanmar also, with many waiting to cross over into Bangladesh as supply chains have been cut off due to the ongoing conflict, according to reports of agencies.

Since mounting a coup against an elected government in 2021, the junta is facing its biggest challenge, trying to contain a bloody rebellion which has seen allied anti-junta groups backed by a pro-democracy parallel government seize control of several military posts and towns.

This is evident in the development that after being attacked by rebels, at least 106 members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) have fled to Bangladesh and taken refuge in a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) outpost in Turmbru, Bandarban.

Shariful Islam, public relations officer of BGB, said 106 BGP members have so far entered Bangladesh through Tumbru border in Naikkhyangchhari upazila with arms and ammunition due to the ongoing clashes inside Myanmar.

These people have been taken to safety after the weapons they carried with them were deposited with the BGB cache, he said.

Amid the ongoing conflict between junta forces and rebels, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are waiting to cross into Bangladesh, local officials said.

Primarily, Chakmas and Rohingyas are at the forefront of those waiting to cross the border at Ghumdhum, said the Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).

Commissioner Mizanur Rahman said, "The conflict between Myanmar's junta forces and the rebel group called Arakan Army is causing a food crisis for people living on the Myanmar border, disrupting medical services to the injured. In this dire situation, they are attempting to enter Bangladesh in a bid to save their lives."

But the BGB patrol has been strengthened at the border to prevent individuals from Myanmar crossing into Bangladesh, he added.

Since 10am on Monday, Myanmar forces have been bombing the Arakan Army's positions from helicopters.

The BGB said it is on high alert so that no group including Rohingyas can infiltrate through the Myanmar border.

"Additional BGB personnel have been deployed in the border areas to closely monitor the situation," BGB Cox's Bazar Region Commander Brigadier General Morshed Alam told reporters at a press briefing in Bandarban on Monday evening.

The BGB commander further said a strong protest letter has been sent to Myanmar's BGP over the death of two people in the mortar shell explosion.

Anwarur Islam, a member of Ward No 5 of Ghumdhum Union, said, "Intense shelling has been going on near the Ghumdhum border area since dawn, at times intermittently, and at times without a break.

"We observed a fire burning in the camp of the Myanmar border force in Dhekibaniya, a place located on the other side of the border adjacent to Ghumdhum, until 3pm. Simultaneously, helicopters were seen firing inside the Myanmar border."

In response to the escalating situation, seven educational institutions have been declared closed, and the movement of vehicles has been restricted.

The BGB has advised locals to stay indoors or move cautiously for safety, especially in the southern and northern parts of Tombru, which is situated in Ghumdhum Union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban.