Salai Moe Aung, Narinjara News, 17August 2024

The junta forces arrested more than 60 local residents,including women, from three villages under  Gwa township in Arakan State amid intensified fighting after the  Arakan Army (AA) offensive. Thearrests took place in  Kular Pyin, Zee Kone and Taing Kyoe villages.

On the afternoon of 15 August, the soldiers from563rd light infantry battalion, a junta unit in the area, entered thesevillages and detained the residents without showing any reason.

“I don’t know why they werearrested. A group of  soldiers came into Kular Pyin village and arrestedmany residents. They also arrested some people from Zee Kone and Taing Kyoevillages,” said a local resident. The family members are worried about theirwhereabouts till now.

Mentionable is that soon after  theAA fighters launched an offensive against the junta soldiers stationed at theKyeintali town entry point on 10 August by 3 pm that was followed by a fiercefighting.

A large number of civilians were also detainedfollowing the escalation of military tension. On 11 August, the AA fighterstargeted the police station and fortified junta military camps in Kyeintali.The fighting continued till 10  am of 12 August.

The junta's army, navy andair force personnel used  artillery shelling heavily, but they sufferedcasualties and finally retreated on 14 August.

After their retreat too, the junta soldiers continuedto fire artillery shells over  Kyeintali town from Tha Yet Taung pagodanear Kyway Chai village till the afternoon of 15 August.

Gwa is located in thesouthernmost part of Arakan State and adjacent to the Ayeyarwady region. It’shome to the junta's 562nd and 563rd light infantry battalions.