Attackers Kill Guard at Bangladesh Rohingya Refugee Camp

A group of armed attackers stormed a security post at a camp for Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh near the Myanmar border Friday, killing the post commander and looting weapons, police said.

The attackers shot dead the commander and tied up other security personnel with ropes, before stealing 11 rifles and 570 rounds, local police chief Mujibur Rahman said.

"The attack occurred at 2:20 am (2020 GMT) Friday. There were 10-15 attackers who were armed. They beat and then shot the Ansar (government security guard) commander of the camp from behind. He died on the spot," Rahman told AFP.

The Nayapara refugee camp near Teknaf town, two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Myanmar border, is home to about 25,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, according to UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency.

Police are investigating the attack and said Rohingya refugees themselves were also suspected.

"The miscreants could be hiding inside the camp," said a police inspector, who requested anonymity.

However, he said the camp was not secure and was easy to enter.

"People can enter from any sides of the 0.75-square kilometer camp which is surrounded by jungle and can easily hide among its crowds," he said.

Rohingya people living in Bangladesh are officially restricted to living in camps and cannot participate in normal society such as going to regular schools or having contact with locals.

However, the government says more than 300,000 unregistered refugees are living in the Bangladeshi districts bordering Myanmar.

In recent years police have alleged Rohingya refugees are involved in criminal activities including human trafficking.