AA seizes key BGF outposts in Maungdaw Twsp: source

By Admin 03 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
3 June 2024, Maungdaw

The Arakkha Army (AA) has reportedly seized two Border Guard Force (BGF) outposts near Kyaukpandu Village, part of Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township, and has been attacking BGF Battalion No. 6 in Inndin Village.

The AA took control of the two BGF outposts near the Angumaw-Maungdaw road at about 5 a.m. on June 2.

“The AA seized two BGF outposts in Kyaukpandu Village yesterday morning and is currently launching an attack on BGF Battalion No. 6 in Inndin Village,” a reliable source told DMG at about 4 p.m. on Monday. “The regime troops in Sittwe fired artillery shells into the AA positions near Inndin Village. The military’s BGF battalion No. 6 is one of the most important camps in southern Maungdaw.”

Military analysts say the AA is targeting the junta’s BGF battalion to control the entire Maungdaw region, with the regime using artillery to defend against the AA onslaught.

Clashes between the military and AA in the Maungdaw region had halted for about one week due to the effects of a cyclonic storm and heavy rains.

During the break in hostilities, Myanmar’s military regime sent reinforcements and weapons from Sittwe to Maungdaw to launch a counterattack against the AA, local sources said.

“The regime launched the counterattack against the AA and bolstered defences in Maungdaw. Junta snipers took positions at residential buildings in downtown Maungdaw,” said a local source in Maungdaw.

Around 300 regime snipers and about 4,000 junta soldiers and military-trained armed Muslim men have taken positions at residential buildings in downtown Maungdaw, according to local people.

“The AA has used drones to attack the military in recent days. Junta soldiers and Muslim militiamen have been deployed in downtown Maungdaw. I believe that the reason why the AA has not taken over Maungdaw Town is because of the regime’s collusion with the Muslim militiamen,” said a displaced person.

Junta soldiers and Muslim conscripts have been looting and torching homes and shops in Maungdaw Township after residents fled amid fighting between the regime and the AA.

As the Maungdaw region, which is a hub for border trade activities, is also a regular source of income for the regime and is of clear strategic value for both the junta and AA.

“The regime will not give up Maungdaw easily, but will defend against the AA attack because the regime earns a large amount of foreign income through Maungdaw,” said a social activist in Maungdaw. “If Maungdaw Town falls to the AA, it will not only be an economic loss for the regime, but also an international embarrassment.”