Intense fighting erupts in Maungdaw, AA fighters attack 5th border guard battalion

Naung Min Thu / Thinzar New, Narinjara News, 20 June 2024

The Arakan Army (AA) launched an offensive against the 5th border guard police battalion (NaKhaKha-5), located over two miles from Maungdaw town on the western border of Arakan State, and also attacked the junta soldiers stationed in Nyaung Chaung (Muslim) village, south of NaKhaKha-5, at around 11:30 am on 18 June.

The junta soldiers and  AA fighters continued fighting in Nyaung Chaung village for many hours. After the AA fighters fired  improvised rockets over NaKhaKha-5, the soldiers responded with artillery shelling. The local residents could hear the sound of drone bomb attacks, small arms and machine gun firing.

“The fighting that began in the morning of 18 June persisted till the next day’s evening,” said a local Muslim resident of Ka Nyin Tan ward under  Maungdaw.

The junta forces also positioned in Nyaung Chaung (Muslim) village on the south and Zu La (Muslim) village on the north of NaKhaKha-5 with an aim to resist the AA offensive against Nyaung Chaung and Zu La Muslim villages.

"Now the junta soldiers are defending Nyaung Chaung, Pan Taw Pyin, Har Bi and Zu La villages. A helicopter-carrying military equipment  stationed at the mouth of Naf river. It remains unclear if  they intended to use artillery shells or planned to evacuate the place,” said a local resident.

A Muslim resident informed that due to the ongoing fighting in south Maungdaw, the junta soldiers  fired artillery shells over Nyaung Chaung, Wai Thar Li, Har Bi and Pan Taw Pyin villages, following which the residents found difficulties in Eid ul-Adha celebration on 18 June.

Due to airstrikes by the junta forces and ongoing artillery shell firing from the military battalions, thousands of local residents left their places.

By now, AA fighters have occupied the outposts of 2nd border guard police battalion (NaKhaKha-2) based in 4-mile. Currently, only a few NaKhaKha-2 and NaKhaKha-5 bases in Myo Thu Gyi are out of the AA’s control.