AA accuses regime of using chemical weapons in battle for Maungdaw

By Admin 30 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
30 August 2024, Maungdaw

The Arakkha Army (AA) has accused Myanmar’s military regime of using chemical bombs during the battle for control of Maungdaw in Arakan State.

Junta soldiers and armed Muslim militiamen at Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion No. 5 in Maungdaw’s Myothugyi Ward fired mortar shells and used chemical bombs to attack the AA on August 28, the ethnic armed group said in a statement on Thursday.

The AA also accused Myanmar’s military regime of using chemical bombs during fighting in neighbouring Chin State’s Paletwa Township.

While retreating from Maungdaw, meanwhile, junta soldiers destroyed homes and buildings that were once used to defend against AA attacks.

Fighting continues in Maungdaw as the AA is pursuing the retreating junta forces.

The AA said it found several dead bodies of junta soldiers and armed Muslim militiamen, captured some prisoners of war and seized a haul of weapons from multiple locations in Maungdaw from August 27 to 29.

The AA has reportedly evacuated tens of thousands of people who were detained and used as human shields in Maungdaw and nearby villages during the battle for control of the border town.

The battle for control of Maungdaw began on August 4, 2024, and the AA will soon be in full control of the town, the ethnic armed group’s statement claimed.

The AA’s fight to seize the military’s Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe Township, meanwhile, continues to escalate, the August 29 statement reads.

The AA began attacking the Maung Shwe Lay naval base on July 20, with the regime defending against the AA assault with aerial and artillery support.

The AA has seized control of multiple junta battalions in Thandwe Township, while the Maung Shwe Lay naval base is the only military camp in the township.