Bangladesh on Sunday deployed heavily-armed border guards to an island near its southern border with Myanmar for the first time in 20 years, officials said.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) distributed images showing dozens of troops carrying assault rifles disembarking at Saint Martin's island, a small island in the Bay of Bengal that has caused diplomatic tensions between the neighbours.

The BGB said the troop deployment was part of "regular activities" to ensure border protection and curb drug trafficking.

But the force's lieutenant colonel, Sarker Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, told AFP it was the first time since 1997 their men had landed there.

"After more than 20 years we felt we should deploy," he said.

The deployment comes just two months after Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador in Dhaka to protest the inclusion of Saint Martin inside their territory in some maps printed inside the Southeast Asian country.

He was also summoned in October last year after a Myanmar government website depicted the island as within Myanmar's territory.

Ties between the neighbours have soured since the Myanmar military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya minority in Rakhine, a troubled western state bordering Bangladesh.

The brutal operation has forced some 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh since August 2017, transforming parts near the border into the world's largest refugee camp.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh has accused Myanmar of perpetrating genocide against the Rohingya, who share some cultural and linguistic similarities with Bangladeshis in the country's southeast.

Bangladesh on Sunday deployed heavily-armed border guards to an island near its southern border with Myanmar for the first time in 20 years, officials said. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) distributed images showing dozens of troops carrying assault rifles disembarking at Saint Martin's island, a small island in the Bay of Bengal that has caused diplomatic tensions between the neighbours.

Bangladesh on Sunday deployed heavily-armed border guards to an island near its southern border with Myanmar for the first time in 20 years, officials said. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) distributed images showing dozens of troops carrying assault rifles disembarking at Saint Martin's island, a small island in the Bay of Bengal that has caused diplomatic tensions between the neighbours. The BGB said the troop deployment was part of "regular activities" to ensure border protection and curb drug trafficking. But the force's lieutenant colonel, Sarker Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman, told AFP it was the first time since 1997 their men had landed there. "After more than 20 years we felt we should deploy," he said. The deployment comes just two months after Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador in Dhaka to protest the inclusion of Saint Martin inside their territory in some maps printed inside the Southeast Asian country. He was also summoned in October last year after a Myanmar government website depicted the island as within Myanmar's territory. Ties between the neighbours have soured since the Myanmar military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya minority in Rakhine, a troubled western state bordering Bangladesh. The brutal operation has forced some 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh since August 2017, transforming parts near the border into the world's largest refugee camp. Muslim-majority Bangladesh has accused Myanmar of perpetrating genocide against the Rohingya, who share some cultural and linguistic similarities with Bangladeshis in the country's southeast.

Bangladesh deploys border guards to island near Myanmar

Iranian border guards killed two Pakistani men and injured four others after they tried to enter the Iranian territory through an illegal route in Panjgur district of the restive Baluchistan province.&nbsp;

Baluchistan Levies Force officials said a group of seven persons in a van were trying to cross the Pakistan-Iran border without legal documents in Prom area when the Iranian border guards opened fire at them.

Only the driver of the van remained unhurt, they said, adding that the persons belonged to Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa provinces.&nbsp;

Iranian border guards killed two Pakistani men and injured four others after they tried to enter the Iranian territory through an illegal route in Panjgur district of the restive Baluchistan province.

Iranian border guards killed two Pakistani men and injured four others after they tried to enter the Iranian territory through an illegal route in Panjgur district of the restive Baluchistan province. Baluchistan Levies Force officials said a group of seven persons in a van were trying to cross the Pakistan-Iran border without legal documents in Prom area when the Iranian border guards opened fire at them. Only the driver of the van remained unhurt, they said, adding that the persons belonged to Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa provinces.

Iranian border guards kill two, injure four Pakistanis for crossing territory illegally

The two Koreas began destroying 20 guard posts along their heavily-fortified frontier Sunday under a plan to reduce tensions on the border.

Under an agreement made between their generals in late October, North and South Korea agreed to each remove 10 posts and preserve one on either side of the frontier.

The militaries on Sunday began destroying the 20 border guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas after withdrawing troops and equipment from them, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Seoul's defence ministry.

South Korea has around 60 such posts along the rest of the border while the North has about 160, Yonhap said.

The border truce village of Panmunjom -- or the Joint Security Area (JSA) -- is the only spot along the tense, 250-kilometre (155-mile) frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face to face.

But as part of the latest reconciliatory gesture, the two Koreas last month removed all firearms and guard posts from the area, leaving it manned by 35 unarmed personnel from each side.

The moves come as a diplomatic thaw between the former wartime foes gathers pace.

Under doveish South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Seoul has pursued a policy of engagement with its isolated, nuclear-armed neighbour, in contrast with the US which insists pressure should be maintained on Pyongyang until it denuclearises.

Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed on a broad plan to ease tensions along the border during their third summit in Pyongyang in September.

The two nations technically remain at war after the 1950-53 Korean War that sealed the division of the peninsula and ended with a ceasefire instead of a peace treaty.

But ties improved markedly this year as Moon and Kim took a series of reconciliatory gestures.

Kim and US President Donald Trump also held a historic summit in June in Singapore and signed a vaguely worded deal on denuclearisation, but little progress has been made since then, with the two countries sparring over the exact meaning of the agreement.

Planned talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of Kim's right-hand men, Kim Yong Chol, were also delayed this week.&nbsp;

The two Koreas began destroying 20 guard posts along their heavily-fortified frontier Sunday under a plan to reduce tensions on the border. Under an agreement made between their generals in late October, North and South Korea agreed to each remove 10 posts and preserve one on either side of the frontier.

The two Koreas began destroying 20 guard posts along their heavily-fortified frontier Sunday under a plan to reduce tensions on the border. Under an agreement made between their generals in late October, North and South Korea agreed to each remove 10 posts and preserve one on either side of the frontier. The militaries on Sunday began destroying the 20 border guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas after withdrawing troops and equipment from them, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Seoul's defence ministry. South Korea has around 60 such posts along the rest of the border while the North has about 160, Yonhap said. The border truce village of Panmunjom -- or the Joint Security Area (JSA) -- is the only spot along the tense, 250-kilometre (155-mile) frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face to face. But as part of the latest reconciliatory gesture, the two Koreas last month removed all firearms and guard posts from the area, leaving it manned by 35 unarmed personnel from each side. The moves come as a diplomatic thaw between the former wartime foes gathers pace. Under doveish South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Seoul has pursued a policy of engagement with its isolated, nuclear-armed neighbour, in contrast with the US which insists pressure should be maintained on Pyongyang until it denuclearises. Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed on a broad plan to ease tensions along the border during their third summit in Pyongyang in September. The two nations technically remain at war after the 1950-53 Korean War that sealed the division of the peninsula and ended with a ceasefire instead of a peace treaty. But ties improved markedly this year as Moon and Kim took a series of reconciliatory gestures. Kim and US President Donald Trump also held a historic summit in June in Singapore and signed a vaguely worded deal on denuclearisation, but little progress has been made since then, with the two countries sparring over the exact meaning of the agreement. Planned talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of Kim's right-hand men, Kim Yong Chol, were also delayed this week.

North and South Korea begin destroying border guard posts to reduce tensions

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