Naung Min Thu, Narinjara News, 13 June 2024

The Arakan Army (AA) has captured Ah Lel Than Kyaw camp in south Maungdaw on the night of Wednesday, said local sources.

After capturing six military bases including Inn Din6th border guard police battalion, Myin Hlut 9th border guard police battalionand Mawyawadi 4th border guard police battalion, the AA fighters launched anoffensive against the Ah Lel Than Kyaw camp in the afternoon and finallyconquered it the same night.

"The AA fighters are continuing offensives against Na Khaung To and Pa Dincamps on Thursday  morning too,”  said  a resident of Ma GyeeChaung Muslim village.

The latest capture is a well-known military camp insouth Maungdaw of Rakhine State and it gave shelter to over 200 soldiers andborder guard personnel.

The AA fighters attacked the camp at the entry point to Maungdaw firing artillery shells. The junta soldiers conductedairstrikes with jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft from the military vessels.

Many soldiers retreated to Na Khaung To and Pa Dincamps. Fierce fighting continued as the junta forces, combined with theretreating personnel, tried to defend both the military bases.

“Airstrikes by Y-12 aircraft, blasts of artillery shells, gunfire from smallarms, drones, APG launchers and machine guns were used in the battles. The 5thborder guard police battalion and the navy personnel fired many artilleryshells,” said a Maungdaw resident.

The local military analysts stated that despite the junta’s reinforced soldiersalong with weapons via landing crafts at Ah Lel Than Kyaw, Na Khaung To, PaDin, Ma Gyee Chaung, and Maung Ni camps, they failed to defend those basesfully and hence many soldiers retreated.

The AA fighters fully captured the junta's borderguard camps along Ah Ngu Maw road in the southern part of Maungdaw. These campsinclude Tower Hill (captured on 2 June), Kyauk Pan Du camp (on 3 June), GwaSone Pyin (4 June), Myin Hlut camp (4 June),  Inn Din/ 6th border guardpolice battalion (6 June) and 9th border guard police battalion (7 June), saidan AA statement.

On 7 June, the fighting intensified around Thar Yar Kone village  as the AA fighters launched offensives from around  200 meters northeast ofMa Gyee Kone village in the morning hours.

Two outposts of the 2nd border guard police battalion weresurrounded by the AA fighters and facing the heat, the junta soldiers retreatedtowards cashew farms and the police battalion in Maungdaw town.

The AA has already declared that it would continueattacking the military camps based in the Maungdaw locality. A  warningwas also issued to the junta soldiers to surrender or face the consequence. TheAA statement, issued on 7 June, also assured necessary care to the surrenderedsoldiers along with their families.