Junta troops, AA again clash in Maungdaw and Paletwa townships

By DMG 22 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
22 August 2022, Maungdaw
 
The Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) clashed in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, and Chin State’s Paletwa Township on Monday morning, according to locals, the latest hostilities to be reported in a region beset by conflict over recent weeks.
 
Fighting broke out in the mountains near Abaung Thar village in Paletwa Township at around 4 a.m. on August 22, a local resident told DMG.
 
“I heard artillery and gunfire. It was an exchange of fire. I still hear gunfire,” he told DMG at around noon on Monday.
 
The military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 289, based in Paletwa town, provided artillery support for its troops, said another Paletwa Township resident. “I heard over 20 shots of artillery. I also heard gunfire,” he said.
 
Meanwhile, the combined forces of the Myanmar military and border guard police clashed with the Arakan Army near mile post No. 39, some three miles north of Mee Tike village in northern Maungdaw Township near the Bangladesh border, at around 5 a.m. on Monday, said a resident of Mee Tike village.
 
“The clash lasted for more than an hour. Villagers were frightened,” he said.
 
That fighting took place near Mee Tike, Thinbaw Hla, Min Khamaung, Mingalar Nyunt and Tamantha villages.
 
“I don’t remember the exact number, but I think clashes have taken place for almost four days in a row near our village. We dare not go out of our village, so we don’t know casualties,” said another resident of Mee Tike village.
 
DMG was unable to contact AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha for comment, and was unable to obtain comment from Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura.
 
Tensions have been running high in Maungdaw and Paletwa townships, with clashes taking place frequently between the military and Arakan Army in recent weeks.