Myanmar military atrocities may amount to war crimes, says rights group

A report by Fortify Rights claims soldiers have carried out massacres and used civilians as human shields

The Myanmar military kidnapped civilians and forced them to work as human shields, attacked homes, churches and carried out massacres, according to a report that warns recent atrocities in eastern Myanmar may amount to war crimes.

The report, by the Myanmar-founded human rights group Fortify Rights, documents abuses by the country's military in Karenni state, also known as Kayah state, an area that has seen intense fighting between the army and groups opposed to last year's military coup.