U.N. rights office says Myanmar carrying out air strikes in Rakhine state

The Myanmar army is carrying out "almost daily airstrikes and shelling" in the restive Rakhine and Chin states, where at least 32 civilians have been killed since March 23, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday.

"It is very difficult to get precise information from Rakhine on whether the reported casualties are the result of targeting or were caught in the crossfire between the Arakan army and Myanmar army," spokesman Rupert Colville told a Geneva news briefing in response to a question.

Myanmar military spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment on the report. The Arakan Army, an insurgent group seeking greater autonomy for the region, has been battling government troops for more than a year.