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.