Hawzah News Agency (Rohingya, Myanmar)- Local sources reported on Saturday, January 7, that the killings had taken place during a series of sporadic raids on a number of villages across northern Buthidaung, adding that many other villagers had also been severely tortured during a day-long siege.

During the raids, at least 300 people from the Muslim minority group were reportedly beaten and detained, of whom 245 people were released later after the extortion of ransom.

Sources said dozens of women had also been molested during the siege and three other women had gone missing.

The Rakhine State, in northern Myanmar, where the Rohingya are concentrated, has been under military siege since October last year, forcing tens of thousands of the members of the minority group to flee to neighboring regions in Kachin State or across the border to Bangladesh.

The latest military crackdown in Rakhine began after a deadly raid on a police post that the government said was carried out by the Rohingya.

International organizations and human rights groups have already blamed security forces for abuses against the Muslim minority in Rakhine, including rape, killings, and the burning of more than 1,000 homes.