Pauktaw fighting continues for 13th day

By Admin 28 Nov 2023

DMG Newsroom
28 November 2023, Pauktaw
 
The battle for Pauktaw between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) continued for a 13th consecutive day on Tuesday.

The military launched a joint operation of ground troops, navy and air forces for control of Pauktaw against the Arakan Army, which has been attempting to rescue dozens of residents trapped by the fighting.

Junta helicopters and jet fighters fired into residential areas in downtown Pauktaw at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and Myanmar Navy vessels in the Kaladan River and Kyweku River fired mortar shells into Pauktaw at about 2 p.m., an eyewitness told DMG.
 
“The junta jet fighters and Myanmar Navy vessels fired into residential areas in Pauktaw today. The sounds of gunfire are still heard in downtown Pauktaw. The military fired heavy weapons into Pauktaw yesterday,” the eyewitness added.

Some homes caught fire after mortar shells fired by a junta jet fighter and a military regiment in Sittwe fell in Ba One Ward and near a high school, another Pauktaw resident said.

“The junta jet fighters dropped bombs on Pauktaw and we saw homes on fire. Today, there are more house fires than the previous days. The fire has started since 11 a.m.,” the Pauktaw resident added.

An elderly woman trapped in Pauktaw, Arakan State, was killed by junta artillery strikes at about 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“It saddens me to see homes burning almost every day. I am worried that my home will be burned down,” said an internally displaced person (IDP) from Pauktaw.

The AA rescued more than 220 residents trapped in the fighting or being held hostage by the regime on November 21 and 23. The AA said in a statement on November 27 that fighting is still intensifying in Pauktaw.

Pauktaw town is a centre of maritime transportation, and the military and the AA are vying for control of the strategic town, according to political analysts.

“The Pauktaw fighting was ULA/AA’s first battle to capture a town in Arakan State,” said U Pe Than, a political analyst. “Since Pauktaw is the entrance to Sittwe, it is a major hub for maritime communications. If the ULA/AA were to capture Pauktaw, the regime would be unable to do so either militarily or economically. So the military and AA are competing to control Pauktaw.”