Fighting intensifies along Myanmar border with Bangladesh

Fighting has intensified along the Myanmar border with Bangladesh in southern Maungdaw Township as the Arakan Army targets border guard police positions to seize the entire township, according to local residents in Myanmar. 

They report that the ethnic army, having already taken control of northern Maungdaw, is now focusing on the south. Over the past few days, three junta positions have fallen, with two more at Mawyawaddy and Myin Lut on the verge of collapsing, reports The Irrawaddy. 

The Border Guard Police battalion No. 5 base on the outskirts of Maungdaw town in Myo Thu Gyi ward remains the only major junta base yet to be attacked by the Arakan Army, though junta troops are still present in Maungdaw town. Recently, the Arakan Army captured two small bases near the Border Guard Police Battalion headquarters near Kyauk Panu village and is now attacking battalion headquarters in Inn Din, Myin Lut, and Mawyawaddy villages.

Myanmar's Border Guard Police battalion No. 9 headquarters near Myint Lut village occupies land that previously hosted Muslim villages destroyed in the 2017 communal violence. Meanwhile, the Border Guard Police Battalion No. 6 headquarters is located in Inn Din village, where Myanmar military soldiers massacred 10 Rohingya people in 2017.

Pro-junta Telegram channels reported the fall of three outposts guarding Battalion 9 on Monday and Tuesday, with the Ywa Thit village police outpost also falling. The bases of border guard police battalions 6 and 9 are currently under siege. The regime is deploying fighter jets and warships to defend its positions, causing villagers to flee.

Further fighting has been reported near Ngwe Taung village, close to the Border Guard Police Battalion No. 4 headquarters on the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road. The regime is providing continuous air support for the Mawyawaddy hilltop tactical command base and the battalion in Myint Lut village.

Junta troops retreating from other bases in Maungdaw have joined forces with Battalion No. 5 in Myo Thu Gyi ward and downtown Maungdaw. The regime is sending reinforcements to Maungdaw town by sea, as the Arakan Army has blockaded the road to the town after capturing Buthidaung. Rakhine politician U Pe Than noted the difficulty the regime faces in repelling the Arakan Army's attacks due to the blockade.

Attempts to obtain comments from the Arakan Army about the fighting were unsuccessful, and the regime has not publicly addressed the conflict. On Sunday, the Arakan Army stated it would attack all junta positions in Maungdaw, Ann, Kyaukphyu, Taungup, Manaung, Thandwe, and Gwa townships, of which the Arakan Army controls nine out of 17. Thandwe Airport in Thandwe Township has been closed due to intensified fighting nearby, impacting Ngapali Beach, a major tourist destination.