Myanmar’s military said on Friday that the army used helicopters in war-torn Rakhine state two days earlier to prevent armed Arakan separatists from launching offensives, and claimed that six Rohingya Muslim civilians killed by a chopper attack at the time were working with the Arakan Army (AA). Military spokesman Major General Tun Tun Nyi told RFA’s Myanmar Service that the army used helicopters on April 3 to deter the AA from firing at its troops. “Yes, we used helicopters and necessary equipment during the fighting,” he said. The military-run Myawady newspaper said the army acted after it had received a confirmed report that about 150 AA troops were positioned around Sai Din Creek in Buthidaung township, and that the helicopter assault killed six Rohingya and injured nine others during the fighting. The six Rohingya reported dead by the military were from Thayet Pyin, Dabyu Chaung, King Taung, Hteik Htoo Pauk, and Hpon Nyo Leik villages and were with AA “terr...