Bangladesh rescues 57 in border gun battle

Bangladesh security forces rescued at least 57 people, including Rohingya refugees, during a gun battle with suspected human traffickers near the Myanmar border, the military said Friday.

The military's Inter-Services Public Relations said one soldier, Md Titash Sheikh, was killed in the clash on Thursday night.

ISPR said security forces launched an operation in the hills of Rongikhali in Teknaf, close to Myanmar, after receiving a tip-off that an armed gang of 15 to 16 suspected traffickers had abducted around 120 Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis.

It said Sheikh, 27, was shot in the left shoulder during the exchange of fire and later died of his injuries.

Bangladesh hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. Many live in camps around Cox's Bazar, near the border, where trafficking gangs prey on refugees seeking work or passage abroad.

The 2017 Myanmar crackdown is the subject of a genocide case at the UN's top court in The Hague, which is due to deliver its ruling on November 19.