Three junta battalions in Ann withdraw amid AA offensive

By Admin 24 Oct 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 October 2024, Ann

Three junta battalions in Arakan State's Ann Township have retreated this week due to the Arakkha Army's (AA) offensive. The Myanmar military's strategically important Western Command is based in Ann Township.

Light Infantry Battalion No. 373, a military security affairs battalion and medical corps have all withdrawn to consolidate their forces at the Western Command headquarters and other battalions, an Ann resident said.

"The fighting is taking place every day. We can hear artillery and gunfire around the town. We heard aircraft and drones the whole night last night," said the source.

The AA has been advancing on Ann Town after capturing two heavily fortified hilltop tactical command bases defending the Western Command.

The ethnic armed group is now attacking Artillery Battalion No. 374 and an ordnance depot while shelling the Western Command headquarters. The regime has been forced to airdrop weapons and food supplies due to the heavy fighting.

The junta has heavily fortified its Western Command position, with residents anticipating that the fighting will escalate as the AA and allies continue their assault.

"The fighting will only intensify, but the regime does not allow us to dig bomb shelters," one Ann resident said. "They said we would be arrested if we dig bomb shelters. There is no guarantee for our safety. I can only resign myself to fate."

Ann residents and displaced civilians from nearby villages taking shelter in the town, meanwhile, are trapped due to junta travel restrictions.

Junta troops and the AA have been clashing daily in Maungdaw, Ann and Gwa townships. There have also been clashes in Taungup, Kyaukphyu and Sittwe townships.

"The AA has been making steady moves since the launch of Operation 1027. It has carried out effective operations to attack and hamper the enemy. It is also stockpiling weapons, ammunition and medicines at the same time," said political and research advisor Moe Htet Nay of Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica.

Political observers have predicted that the battle for control of Ann Township will be the fiercest fighting in Arakan State to date, given the Western Command's strategic importance.