BANGKOK -- Myanmar soldiers captured 10 Rohingya Muslims and killed them, the military said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, admitting for the first time to atrocities against the minority group.

The U.S. and the United Nations have accused Myanmar forces of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, and Wednesday's admission will likely trigger greater international pressure on the Southeast Asian country.

The military had launched an investigation after 10 unidentified bodies were found in December at a village in the western state of Rakhine. It found that four members of the border patrol were involved in the murders, which took place in early September. Security forces began cracking down on the Rohingya group after armed rebels attacked police and army posts in late August.

In the Wednesday statement, the military said it will take action against those involved who broke the rules of engagement, according to the law.

The latest admission is seen by some as a claim by the Myanmar armed forces that any illegal actions by its troops were not systematic abuses ordered by military headquarters.