NarinjaraNews, August 5, 2024

The sounds of warplanes, explosions, and artillery shellingresonated throughout Maungdaw Town on the western border of Arakan (Rakhine)State, during fierce fighting on 4 August 2024.

A Hindu resident of Maungdaw said on 4 August: “The sounds ofgunfire were so loud that I couldn't hear clearly enough to talk on the phone.No locals dared to leave their homes. The sounds of the junta's jets andartillery shelling are very noisy. The battle is so fierce that there may becivilian casualties, though I’m not sure yet. Communications have also been cutin many places.”

On 3 August, the Arakan Army (AA) launched renewed offensivestargeting junta positions in Maungdaw Town. These included strikes against theBorder Guard Police No. 5 (BGP-5) base and other military camps throughout thetown where junta soldiers and fighters from junta-affiliated groups such as theArakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and others were stationed.

The AA also captured Shwe Zar Bridge on 3 August before, laterthat evening, launching a heavy offensive against  junta troops and theirallied militias stationed in Shwe Zar Village Tract, which led to many juntacasualties and other junta soldiers fleeing the area, many of them in civilianclothes.

The AA then used drones to track the fleeing junta soldiersand drop bombs on them, causing them to take refuge in shops and houses inresidential areas of Maungdaw Town.

A resident describing the chaotic scene said: “Since lastnight, soldiers have been fleeing from Shwe Zar Village Tract into MaungdawTown. The AA used drones to bomb them, causing them to seek refuge inresidential areas and streets within the town. We saw some junta soldiers andmilitiamen hiding in shops around the town. This morning, we saw small groupsof soldiers, each consisting of three to four individuals, entering the town,but we couldn’t determine where they were from.”

Also on 3 August, from 3:00 pm, the AA launched successivewaves of attacks on multiple villages along the road to Maungdaw Town,including Shwe Zar, Har Bi, Zu La, Myoma Kanyintan, La Thar, Bat Kar Gone Na,and Bo Hum.

In response, two junta jet fighters launched heavy airstrikesin the area of the BGP-5 base on the morning of 4 August.

The fighting intensified on 4 August, according to anotherresident.

He said: “This morning, we saw more than 20 BGP personnel and juntasoldiers carrying weapons flee from Shwe Zar Village Tract on the outskirts ofMaungdaw across the Shwe Zar Stream towards Myo Oo Village. They then enteredMaungdaw Town. Now that the Shwe Zar Bridge is under AA control, it is nolonger possible for junta troops to use that bridge to enter the town. We alsosaw some bodies of BGP personnel and junta-aligned militiamen floating in theShwe Zar Stream.”

Heavy fighting is ongoing around Maungdaw Town. The junta isconstantly firing artillery and in response, the AA is dropping bombs fromdrones onto the junta’s bases and outposts and into areas where junta troopsare hiding.