A retired high-ranking officer in Myanmar's military was shot dead at his home in the country's biggest city, Yangon, in the latest such killing attributed to militants opposed to army rule.
Ohn Thwin is believed to be the highest-ranking active or retired military officer assassinated since February last year, when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread public opposition.
An urban guerrilla group called Inya Urban Force claimed responsibility for the attack on Ohn Thwin, 72, who also had served as Myanmar's ambassador to Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa. His son-in-law was also killed.
The military government's spokesperson, Maj Gen Zaw Min Tun, confirmed their deaths to the Myanmar-language service of the US government-backed broadcaster Voice of America on Saturday evening.
He condemned it for being an attack on veterans.
The takeover prompted peaceful protests that security forces suppressed with bloody violence, leading to armed resistance that has escalated into what some UN experts characterise as a civil war.
Ohn Thwin was shot in the head by two men about 3 pm when he opened the door to his house in Hlaing township in Yangon, said two residents, who spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because they fear retribution from the authorities.
They said his son-in-law, Ye Tay Za, a retired captain in the military, was also shot when he resisted the attack and tried to help Ohn Thwin.
The residents said the victims were taken to Kan Thar Yar Hospital, which is reportedly owned by a holding company controlled by the military.
In a Facebook post, the Inya Urban Force declared “today's mission is accomplished.”
It claimed that Ohn Thwin encouraged the military to commit brutal actions against civilians and had advised the army to seize power from Suu Kyi's civilian government.
Most of the fighting between the military and it opponents takes place in the countryside, where the army has carried out major offensives to try to quash the armed wing of the pro-democracy movement and discourage its supporters.