The military regime is hastily fortifying an artillery battalion on a road linking southern Rakhine State with Ayeyarwady Region as the Arakan Army (AA) advances on the state border.
The two sides have clashed fiercely in Gwa Township on the state border, with the AA seizing two junta checkpoints on the road linking it with Ayeyarwady’s Ngathaingchaung.
Since launching an offensive in November last year, the ethnic Rakhine armed group has captured 14 of 17 townships in the western state. Three of them—Maungdaw, Taungup and Ann—fell this month alone. In Ann, the Myanmar military lost control of its Western Command headquarters, the second regional command to fall since August.
That has made it difficult for the regime to send reinforcements by road to Gwa, so now it is building a helipad as part of reinforcing Artillery Battalion 344.
The battalion, which is just a 30-minute drive from Ngathaingchaung town, is being reinforced with troops and weapons as soldiers practice rappelling from helicopters, according to residents.
The junta is also building an artillery defense base at the bridge across the Ngawun River at the entrance to Ngathaingchaung town.
“There is an old police station below Ngathaingchaung Bridge, and the regime is installing artillery there,” a resident told The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity.
Families in Ngathaingchuaung who can afford it are preparing to flee to Yangon, he added.
