- Web Master
- October 27, 2024
The Arakan Army (AA) has captured the 539th light
infantry battalion based in Kan Sauk under Kyauktaw township of Rakhine State
following which around 300 junta soldiers from this battalion surrendered
their weapons.
At approximately 10 am on Tuesday, a reliable source
revealed that a large group of soldiers surrendered to the AA and informed that
20 more armed individuals were hiding at the base. Initially hesitant to
surrender out of fear, they however later surrendered after a loudspeaker
announcement was made. So the entire battalion is understood to lay their arms.
The AA fighters initially encircled the base and
started attacks from all sides. It followed an intense fighting between the two
sides in the early morning hours.
"The AA fighters attacked the battalion from all sides along the Kan Sauk ridge. The soldiers finally surrendered because they realized they cannot escape," explained a local resident.
The AA initiated the offensive against the 539th
battalion on 10 January. Located at the foothills of Kan Sauk mountain,
alongside the Sittwe-Yangon highway, the 539th battalion was positioned along
the Kan Sauk ridge.
The battalion not only served as a checkpoint
with a lengthy inspection for the civilians since the onset of gun fighting in
Rakhine during 2019, but also engaged its soldiers to regularly fires
artillery shells on the neighbouring residential areas.
On 14 January, the AA successfully captured the 377th
artillery battalion situated on the Sittwe-Rangoon highway in the south of
Kyauktaw township, said the Three Brotherhood Alliance.