Hundreds uprooted by military-AA fighting in Taungup Twsp

By Admin 17 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
17 June 2024, Taungup

Hundreds of local people from at least 10 villages in Taungup Township, Arakan State, have been displaced by recent fighting in the area.

A clash between the military and the Arakkha Army (AA) erupted near Taungup’s Chaungkauk Ward on June 15.

“Most residents in Taungup were trapped by the fighting; they are unable to flee their homes due to the junta blockades. The regime dropped hundreds of bombs during the fighting with the AA. Local people are afraid of their safety,” said a local man in Taungup.

A junta jet fighter reportedly bombed some villages in Taungup Township at around 1 p.m. on June 15 without there being any fighting in the area, killing a 20-year-old man named Ko Maung Hlaing Win from Ywathitkay Village.

The displaced are from Chaungkauk Ward, and Welgyi, Wetkyait, Thinbawseik and Yaylelkyun villages in Taungup Township. Most have taken refuge at monasteries in the area.

“Taungup Town is surrounded by AA troops, but no more fighting is taking place in the area. Some military officers were reportedly killed in the clash with the AA,” said a resident of Taungup.

Junta battalions fired mortar shells into residential areas following the clash with the AA, according to local people.

The junta’s No. 5 Military Operations Command, and Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 544 and 346 are based in Taungup Township, where the regime has blocked off land and water routes into the area.