Girl in ICU after stray bullet from Myanmar hits her

A 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl was injured by a stray bullet during a heavy fighting reportedly between the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups across the Myanmar border, police said yesterday.

The clashes took place at Totar Dwip on the Myanmar side, opposite Whykong union of Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf, from around 11:00pm on Saturday to 10:00am yesterday with continuous gunfire and explosions reported.

During the fighting, a stray bullet from across the border hit the girl.

Alok Biswas, additional superintendent of Cox’s Bazar police, told The Daily Star that the injured girl was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

“There were initial reports that she died, but that is not correct,” he said, adding that she was shot in the ear.

Earlier in the day, Khokon Kanti Rudra, in-charge of Whykong police outpost, had said Hujaifa Afnan was killed by a bullet coming from Myanmar.

The girl, daughter of Mohammad Jasim, a resident of the Tesri Bridge area of Whykong, was reportedly playing in front of her house around 9:40am when she was hit by the bullet, the police official added.

In the evening, the girl’s uncle Showkot said she was admitted to the ICU of CMCH. 

After the news of the girl’s injury spread, protesters blocked the Ukhiya–Teknaf highway for at least three hours in the morning. Later, members of army and Border Guard Bangladesh cleared the blockade.

Sirajul Mostafa, a member of ward-2 of Whykong union, said sporadic gunfire had been heard across the border over the past two to three days, but the situation deteriorated from around 11:00pm on Saturday.

“People fled their homes along the border due to the sound of gunfire and explosions,” he said, adding that the firing continued until around 10:00am. 

Col Mohiuddin Ahmed, Ramu sector commander in Cox’s Bazar, told reporters that 53 Rohingyas were detained after they crossed the border. 

He added that BGB would take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Bangladeshis.

Rohingya sources at the Teknaf camp said the Arakan Army used drones to bomb a Rohingya armed group camp at Totar Dwip. Due to the attacks, many Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh.