Sittwe, Rakhine State —The Arakan Army (AA) launched attacks on an advanced military training school in Minbya Township, Rakhine State, on Monday morning.
Both sides suffered casualties in the fighting at the site near Kanni Village in Minbya, according to Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the military’s True News Information Team.
“The AA carried out a surprise attack on the training school in Kanni Village. The fighting ended around 11 am. We could control the situation. We also suffered some casualties. The AA also lost troops and weapons,” Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy.
The training school is beside the Yangon-Sittwe road between Minbya and Myebon townships.
“We heard a lot of gunfire at around 6 am on Monday. And we saw attacks and helicopters in the noon,” Ko Ann Thar Gyi from Minbya told The Irrawaddy.
AA information officer Khaing Thukha confirmed the AA’s attack but said he had no detailed information.
According to the Myawady Daily, the mouthpiece of Myanmar’s military, around 300 AA fighters attacked the school from five directions, and the military found 15 bodies of AA fighters as well as guns from the scene after the fighting.
Most of the dead bodies, according to the photos published online by the Myawady Daily, were not in uniforms, but tracksuits.
Since clashes broke out between Myanmar’s military and the AA in northern Rakhine, more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
