Junta fortifies Ann, home of its Western Command, as AA advances

By Admin 08 Oct 2024

DMG Newsroom
8 October 2024, Ann

Myanmar's military regime is fortifying Ann Town after the fall of its Mt. Mel hilltop tactical command base, a major outpost guarding the junta's Western Command, which is based in Ann.

The regime is reinforcing its battalions and other positions at the entrances to Ann Town, according to sources.

The Arakkha Army (AA) seized control of the Mt. Mel tactical command on Monday after some two weeks of fighting. Regime troops withdrawn from the command have joined Light Infantry Battalion No. 373 at the entrance to Ann, as well as other junta positions.

The regime also reportedly used 23 trucks to move family members of junta personnel in Ann out of Arakan State on Tuesday morning.

"Family members of soldiers were moved to Minbu and Magwe this morning," said one source. "Local battalions have been reinforced with soldiers who have withdrawn from the Mt. Mel [tactical command base]. The regime has also deployed troops around the town."

The military's Western Command, Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 371, 372 and 373, a general engineering unit, a battlefield engineering unit, a medical unit, and other combat support units are all based in Ann Town.

The Mt. Mel tactical command is located just 8 miles from Ann Town, with four villages between the Mt. Mel base and Light Infantry Battalion No. 373 at the entrance to Ann Town.

The regime has planted landmines and dug trenches on roads near those villages, and along the Ann-Sittwe road, according to villagers.

"The regime has dug trenches around the town, and it has deployed troops there. It has also planted mines on the shore where junta troops keep guard," said one Ann woman.

The regime has also reportedly erected another barrier wall made of sharpened bamboo sticks some 20 feet from the existing brick wall of the Western Command near the Sittwe-Ann-Tat Taung intersection.

Some residents have fled the town fearing that they might be trapped by potentially imminent fighting as advancing AA troops are approaching Ann.

A battle for Ann and the Western Command would likely be more intense than those that have preceded it as the AA has steadily tallied territorial gains over recent months.

Political and military analyst U Pe Than described the Western Command as the "head" of the junta's remaining grip on Arakan State.

"It will slide into chaos when the head is gone," he predicted. "Other towns may fall easily. So, the battle could be fiercer."

Fighting continues in Maungdaw, Ann and Kyeintali towns. The AA has also encircled the 5th Military Operations Command in Taungup Town. The AA has said it will drive out or annihilate all junta troops inside Arakan State.