The junta’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 539 based near Kan Sauk village in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township surrendered to the Arakan Army (AA) on Tuesday morning.
The ethnic Rakhine armed group launched attacks on LIB 539 and nearby Artillery Battalion 377 on January 11. The entire LIB 539 surrendered after the AA seized the artillery battalion base on Sunday.
“The AA used a megaphone to order [LIB 539] to surrender throughout Monday evening,” a local resident close to the AA told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday morning.
“Junta troops failed to respond and hid in their trenches but didn’t fire guns or artillery. When the AA shelled the battalion this morning, they came out raising a white flag, crying and begging for mercy.”
A video clip posted by local Rakhine media shows AA troops keeping guard over junta soldiers and their family members.
Local media said nearly 300 junta soldiers and their family members surrendered.
A few hours after the surrender of LIB 539, junta soldiers and police stationed at the central police station in Kyauktaw abandoned their posts along with their family members, local media reported.
On Monday, AA chief Major-General Tun Myat Naing warned junta bases to surrender or face attacks.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the AA chief told junta soldiers in Rakhine to “raise the white flag if you don’t want to get killed or injured.”
He also told junta troops to contact the AA if they wanted to flee and the ethnic armed group would let them go.
The two junta battalions had conducted continuous attacks on nearby villages during the AA’s attacks, inflicting civilian casualties and property damage, according to residents.
The AA also seized a junta artillery unit on Mt. Kyeing Taung in Minbya Township on Tuesday. The regime responded with air and artillery strikes that locals fear may have killed or injured civilians.
The mountain is a junta artillery stronghold stretching six miles long and two miles wide. LIBs 379, 380 and 541 are based at the foot of the mountain. All three units have retreated to the LIB 379 base to defend against attacks.
On Monday, over 100 junta soldiers including the commander of a junta tactical command base in Rathedaung Township surrendered to the AA. The regime has denied they surrendered.
