A clash broke out between Border Guard Police and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Saturday morning near a village in Maungdaw Township.

While the No.6 Border Guard Police was conducting security operations between Meetaik and Thinbawhla villages, it clashed with 20 members of ARSA for 30 minutes near a forest in the old Bengali village “Pun Thi” outside of Thinbawhla village, said U Maung Sein Tun, administrator of Thinbawhla village.

During the clash, a Border Guard police officer received minor injuries to his leg, he said.

Members of ARSA retreated to a deserted village “Mae De” in Kun Dee Bin village tract, but he heard the sound of heavy artillery gunfire from the area they retreated to, he added.

Authorities have been conducting clearance operations in the area and searching for members of the ARSA group.