A number of civilians fled their homes in Rakhine state after a Myanmar military column deployed in three villages allegedly fired artillery into a forested area where it believed Arakan Army camps were, RFA reported.

Local residents from three villages in northern Rakhine’s Minbya township said that Myanmar Army soldiers were deployed in schools, a monastery, and a community hall in the area.

Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun disputed the villagers’ accounts of the shelling, saying soldiers did not set up heavy weapons in the villages.