Junta fortifies positions on Ann-Minbu road

By Admin 27 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 December 2024, Mrauk-U

Myanmar’s military regime is reinforcing its positions and building new outposts along the Ann-Minbu road in the Arakan Mountains after the fall of its Western Command headquarters in Ann.

The regime is also building new bases near Nat Yay Kan and Kan Myint Kan bases along the Ann-Padan road.

“The regime has been making military operations along the Arakan Mountains. They are expanding the existing camps into operational command bases. They have expanded Nat Yay Kan base and Kan Myint Kan base,” a member of the Student Armed Force told DMG.

Observers say those operations are aimed at launching a counteroffensive to reclaim the Western Command headquarters and to protect a junta lifeline — the 15 ordnance factories located in Magway Region.

The fall of Ann, which hosts the Western Command headquarters and borders Magwe Region, means junta positions in central Myanmar are now under direct threat from the AA and its allies.

The regime has used junta outposts guarding offtake stations for the Chinese oil and gas pipelines on the Ann-Padan roads to conduct daily artillery strikes on the overtaken Western Command and there have been daily airstrikes, according to sources.

"They are shelling not just the Western Command, but the surrounding areas. The junta’s air force is also conducting daily air raids,” an AA military source told DMG on Wednesday.

Observers say the junta’s efforts to retake Ann Town are unlikely to be successful, considering that other anti-regime groups from central Myanmar are also based in the Arakan Mountains.

“There were a lot of bases in Ann Township like the Taw Hein Taung hilltop operational command that guarded the Western Command headquarters. Even then, the junta couldn’t defend effectively. Now, they have lost all the bases. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for them to retake the town with ground troops and air support,” said DMG Editor-in-Chief U Aung Marm Oo.

Anti-regime groups have already been conducting operations in Magwe, posing a greater threat to the junta’s ordnance factories after the fall of Ann.