Maung ShweLay naval base in Thandwe township of Arakan State, is currently under siege bythe Arakan Army (AA) fighters where intense fighting has been reported from thearea around one mile away from the base. Since 9 August, skirmisheshad resumed in villages near the naval base.
"The thejunta forces recently suffered significant losses. Nearly 70 soldiers werekilled in the Maw Yon conflict and their bodies have not yet been recovered.Fighting spread across the mountain range. There were also casualties in theThit Kauk conflict, where the junta’s airstrikes resulted in many civiliandeaths. Despite reinforcements, the AA fighters continue to dominate the navalbase," said a resident.
The AAfighters launched an offensive against the junta soldiers stationed intwo villages which are less than a mile away from Maung Shwe Lay naval base.Additionally, they are attacking the naval base from a different direction.
"Zalun-Tha Byu Chai road has been under controlof AA for a longer period. Many junta soldiers remain trapped there. With noreinforcements able to reach the base, the soldiers used the water routes. Itseems, the AA fighters may capture the naval base within thismonth," said a local senior citizen.
Followingheavy losses on 10 August, an artillery shell fired from the naval base strucka village monastery in Thit Kyauk. The explosion killed six displaced personsand injured several others. Maung Shwe Lay naval base remains the lastmilitary stand in Thandwe.
Since mid-July, the junta forces started shelling overmany villages in the southern part of Thandwe, causing deaths of eightresidents and displacing many families from Ah Bel, Nyaung Pin Kwin and KyaukGaung Kwin villages.