Junta families flee Taungup fearing AA offensive

Thinzar Nwe, Narinjara News, 21 August 2024

Fearing a potential offensive by the Arakan Army (AA) on  Taungup township in Arakan State, the family members of junta forces, including those of officers, are now fleeing to mainland Myanmar.

The AA fighters are assumed to be planning an offensive against the junta's Taung Paw Gyi and Nyaung Kyoe checkpoints in Taungup. As a result, many junta family members, who were stationed at the checkpoints and the 346th and 544th light infantry battalions, started fleeing towards Pyay, a nearest locality to  Taungup, on motorcycles, said a local eyewitness.

Those family members can only pass through the junta’s checkpoints along the Taungup-Pyay road if they are endorsed by the military operations command (MOC-5) office.

"Without the commander's signature, neither family members of the junta forces nor any others are allowed to go through the checkpoints. The soldiers are not allowed to send their families.  Only some families are escaping," added the local resident.

The  junta soldiers are conducting frequent airstrikes on  Taungup locality. The locals apprehend that more airstrikes may be on their cards as they see the aircrafts continue to hover over their places.

Since the first week of August, the junta battalions in Taungup are firing artillery shells causing fear and panic among local residents.

In the second week, the junta forces conducted airstrikes on several villages under Taungup township resulting in destruction of many houses.

Photograph: In April, the junta forces and their family members from Rathedaung township raised a white flag and surrendered to the AA