Tillerson calls for credible probe into rights abuses in Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson comes down from his plane upon his arrival at Pakistan's Nur Khan military airbase in Islamabad, Pakistan October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Aamir Qureshi/Pool

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called for a credible investigation into allegations of human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims after a meeting with Myanmar's civilian and military leaders.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a Myanmar military counter-insurgency clearance operation in Rakhine State that a top U.N. official has described as a textbook case of "ethnic cleansing".

"Scenes of what occurred are just horrific," Tillerson told a joint news conference with Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto head of a civilian administration that is less than two years old and shares power with the military.

Tillerson held separate talks with the commander of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)