Intense fighting prevents aircraft from landing at Ann airport, junta compels to airdrop military supplies

Thinzar Nwe & Min Shin Saw, Narinjara News, 20 October 2024

Due to intense fighting, the aircrafts were unable to land at Ann airport and hence the junta air dropped food and other military supplies for the western command.

During the airdrop, the Arakan Army (AA) fighters targeted the junta soldiers with sniper fire as they attempted to collect the dropped weapons and food packages, resulting in many casualties.  The soldiers were unable to retrieve the packages.

“I saw from a distance that an aircraft airdropped military weapons with two parachutes near the airfield. The road to the mainland is now closed and the fighting in the area is very intense,” said a resident of Ann

The junta's air forces dropped nearly 20 packages of weapons and other military equipment near Chaung Kaing Khon area in  between 2:30 and 3:00 pm on 18 October.

“Each drop had two packages and we observed around 10 airdrops. They dropped those items near a location called Chaung Kaing Khon, but the supplies remain undelivered. The junta soldiers who attempted to collect those supplies were killed by the AA snipers,” added the resident.

The AA fighters have also blocked all access roads, including the Minbu-Ann road, making it difficult for the junta forces to transport military supplies to Ann by any vehicle.

A female resident of Ann informed Narinjara News that the intense fighting was going  behind the medical corps and office of the military security affairs head.

She also added that the Ann-Padan-Minbu road remains closed because of the intense fighting and thousands of residents are still trapped in the locality.

“We are trapped in the town. The sound of bombing is also heard loud. It’s scary,” she stated

The  junta warplanes 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 near Ann town at 9 pm on Friday.