Civilian killed, another injured in ARSA ambush on Kyein Chaung–Taung Pyo Letwae road

By Admin 22 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

22 October 2025, Maungdaw

A civilian was killed and another injured when members of the Muslim armed group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) carried out a close-range ambush on the Kyein Chaung–Taung Pyo Letwae road in northern Maungdaw Township, according to local sources.

The attack occurred on the morning of October 21, when two residents riding a motorbike from Nanthar Taung Village back toward Kyein Chaung were shot at close range by ARSA members near the forested bend beyond Thayar Kone Village.

“Both men left from Nanthar Taung. They were two-up on a single motorbike heading from Kyein Chaung toward Maungdaw. Just past Thayar Kone, where the road winds through wooded hills, ARSA gunmen who had been lying in wait opened fire at close range. That stretch has thick brush and tight curves, which creates opportunities for ambushers,” a local resident said.

The deceased has been identified as Ko Kyaw Soe Win, 25, a trader originally from Pyin Shay Village in Buthidaung Township who had been living in Nanthar Taung. He was driving the motorbike and reportedly died at the scene after being hit in the chest and abdomen. His friend traveling with him was also wounded.

On October 11, three residents returning to Kyein Chaung from Nanthar Taung were likewise ambushed near the Laikra junction, leaving one man dead and two injured, locals said.

Similarly, on October 5, three men from Aung Thayar Village who had gone shopping in Taung Pyo were attacked by ARSA between the Laikra junction and Thayar Kone, with one villager injured, according to local accounts.

“This road is a major cross-border trade route, but it’s also under threat from Muslim militant groups. Despite the danger, people keep using it for their livelihoods. We hope the AA can further tighten security along this stretch,” said a resident of Taung Pyo Letwae.

The Kyein Chaung–Taung Pyo Letwae road, which connects directly from Maungdaw to Bangladesh, runs more than 15 miles through hilly, forested terrain and is considered a danger zone by locals.

Villages along this road include Min Gyi, Htrain (Tarain), Aung Thayar, Sin Baw Hla, and Mi Taik, with small populations made up of Arakanese/Rakhine, Daingnet (Thetkama), Mro and other ethnic groups.

“In these sparsely populated areas, Muslim militant groups exploit the terrain to infiltrate—some slip in along the Naf River, others via the Mayu mountain range. Because the Bangladesh border is so close, they even take potshots toward AA positions,” a Kyein Chaung resident said.

Groups such as ARSA and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) are reportedly moving in from the Bangladesh frontier into the Naf River area and Mayu hills, sheltering in northern Maungdaw and committing abuses against civilians. Residents say this has severely undermined local socioeconomic life.

The AA has also warned residents in northern Maungdaw to avoid traveling alone for social or personal matters, and to notify the AA and request security support for essential travel.