Fighting continues to intensify despite junta’s airstrikes on 5 villages near Ann

Min Shin Saw, Narinjara News, 19 October 2024

Despite the junta’s airstrikes on five villages near Ann town, where the western command is located, the fighting continues but even intensifies, said a military source in the region.

On 18  October at around 9 pm, the junta fighter-jets dropped bombs at least 20 times on Kyaung Phyu Kwin, Yat Thar Ywar Thit, Pyin Taw Gyi, Gway Kaing and Yat Thar Ywar Haung villages

“First, they fired artillery shells, and later fighter jets dropped bombs on those villages.  A number of houses were damaged, but the fighting did not stop,” added the source.

The  intense fighting between the junta soldiers and Arakan Army (AA) fighters erupted near the Kyaung Phyu Kwin intersection checkpoint and the central ordnance depot (COD). Despite the airstrikes, the clashes continued for the whole night.

“At around 9 pm, the junta launched airstrikes in the mountain of  Ann town . Then they fired artillery shells at Yat Thar, Kyaung Phyu Kwin and Gway Kaing villages. While the airstrikes were going on, the AA fighters attacked the junta camp at the Kyaung Phyu Kwin intersection. Fighting then broke out near the COD and the battlefield engineer battalion,” stated the source.

Following the AA's attack on the military camp at the intersection, an intense fighting erupted simultaneously at both the COD and the concerned battalion.

The ongoing fighting is taking place near to the western command, where the AA fighters are firing artillery shells and also improvised rockets. The junta is deploying at least four fighter jets to conduct airstrikes on the combat zones around Ann locality.

A local resident reported that the villagers from those areas were severely affected by the airstrikes and they fled to safer places. So they did not sustain injuries, but many houses in those villages were damaged. (File photo)