Junta shelling kills elderly woman trapped by Pauktaw fighting

By Admin 26 Nov 2023

DMG Newsroom
26 November 2023, Pauktaw

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

A mortar shell fired by a Myanmar Navy vessel fell in Ba One Ward, Pauktaw, killing Daw Oo Nyunt Sein, a 70-year-old woman, on the spot.

“Some sick people are still trapped in Pauktaw’s Ba One Ward,” said a resident of Pauktaw town.

More houses caught fire in Arakan State’s Pauktaw town on Saturday after being hit by artillery shells fired by junta warships and the No. 12 Police Battalion in Sittwe. Shells fired by the regime landed in Bawan and No. 3 wards in Pauktaw town, setting fire to some structures, said a witness.

Fighting between the military and AA is still fierce in Pauktaw and a junta fighter jet fired into residential areas in downtown Pauktaw at about 9 a.m. on November 26, an eyewitness said.

“A junta fighter jet fired gunshots at residential areas in downtown Pauktaw this morning. Gunfire is still heard in downtown Pauktaw. A Myanmar Navy vessel also fires mortar shells into Pauktaw,” the Pauktaw resident added.

The battle for Pauktaw between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army continued for a 10th consecutive day on Saturday.

The AA rescued over 220 residents trapped in the fighting or being held hostage by the regime on November 21 and 23. The AA says it continues to attempt to rescue those who remain trapped in Pauktaw.

It remains difficult to ascertain the exact number of civilian casualties as the regime is conducting joint operations in Pauktaw using its army, navy and air force.

Eighteen people have been killed and 58 others were injured in Arakan State and neighbouring Chin State’s Paletwa Township during the latest hostilities, according to a DMG tally.