Myanmar junta troops destroyed two major road bridges leading to Rakhine’s capital of Sittwe on Sunday as the Arakan Army (AA) intensified its offensive to take more towns in the western state.
Residents in Sittwe confirmed the military had used bombs to destroy Kisapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Township at around 8 pm. Kisapanadi spans the Kaladan River and is located on the Yangon-Sittwe Road. Junta troops also dynamited Min Chaung Bridge at the entrance to Sittwe city on Sunday, according to residents.
The same day saw at least seven junta soldiers killed in a clash near Aung Thabyay village in Maungdaw Township, on the border with Bangladesh, at around 10 am, the AA said.
The junta appears to be increasingly reliant on air, navy and artillery strikes as its ground troops lose territory in Rakhine to the AA offensive.
Junta naval boats and landing craft in the Ka Lain Taung River fired seven artillery shells into Ramree Town and surrounding villages at around 11 am on Sunday.
The military has also deployed naval forces in the rivers of Minbya after the AA seized control of the township, which lies west of Sittwe.
Meanwhile, a child was killed and another resident severely wounded when a junta fighter jet bombed Paletwa town in Chin State on Rakhine’s northern border at around 4 pm on Sunday, locals said. Paletwa, an important port town on the Kaledan River, fell to the AA in mid-January.
In Rakhine, the AA has seized the towns of Pauktaw, Minbya, Kyauktaw, Taung Pyo Letwe and Mrauk-U since launching its western offensive in November.
The AA said its special forces have hit back against junta naval operations in Rakhine, destroying one landing craft and two combat boats near Apauk Wa village in Kyauktaw Township on Feb. 7 and 8.
Personnel on board were offered the chance to surrender but instead returned fire, leading to a battle and casualties on both sides, the ethnic army reported. It claimed that one of its soldiers lost his life while trying to save junta troops who were swimming away from their boat. Four junta vessels deployed as reinforcements during the battle were also attacked and damaged, the AA said.
In southern Rakhine, naval forces shelled villages in Thandwe Township on Sunday, according to local reports. Two boats anchored near Sin Khaung village fired artillery shells and light arms into nearby villages at around 11 am.
The AA is a member of the Brotherhood Alliance, which has inflicted unprecedented defeats on the Myanmar military in northern Shan State since launching Operation 1027 last October.
