Sittwe, Rakhine State — The Arakan Army (AA) attacked a temporary military outpost and police outpost between Rathedaung and Maungdaw townships on Monday morning, killing and injuring personnel.
The AA fighters used rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) on a temporary military outpost at the base of Mount Mayu near Inn Din village in Maungdaw Township and a border guard police outpost near Ahtet Nan Yar village in Rathedaung Township, according to military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun.
“The AA shot an RPG at a military outpost near Inn Din at around 7.30 am on Monday and there was an exchange of fire until 8 am. Then the AA attacked the Ahtet Nan Yar police outpost to the east of Inn Din. Some of our personnel were killed and injured,” he told The Irrawaddy.
He did not give details of the death toll.
The clash took place on a mountain road linking Rathedaung and Maungdaw across Mount Mayu. Security personnel have been stationed in temporary outposts on either side of the mountain.
A Rathedaung resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The fighting took place on the Mayu road. There is a hill called Japan Hill by the mountain road. The fighting took place at the military outpost on the hill and the police outpost in Ahtet Nan Yar village where Thazin Myaing and Nyaungbinhla village police were stationed.”
Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun accused the AA of carrying out frequent surprise attacks on security forces on roads in Rathedaung, Maungdaw and Buthidaung and around 50 AA troops attacked the outposts in the latest attack, he said.
Myanmar’s military and the AA clashed in the mountains near Aungtharzi village in Rathedaung Township on Oct. 13. Villagers reported that two fighter jets carried out strikes and both sides suffered casualties.
Both sides reported casualties in fighting to occupy a hill near Aungtharzi village from Oct. 3-5.
According to the Rakhine Ethnic Congress, over 30,000 people have been forced from their homes in Kyauktaw, Rathedaung and Mrauk-U townships over the past two months. More than 226,000 people have so far been displaced by fighting since 2018.
Myanmar’s military has declared a unilateral ceasefire across the country, but excluded Rakhine State, citing the risks posed by terrorist groups in the area.
As the government has declared the AA a terrorist organization, The Irrawaddy was not able to contact the armed group for a comment.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
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