Sittwe residents continued hearing sound of shelling from junta battalion

A junta battalion based in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, continued firing heavy rockets targeting Pauk Taw locality as the battle between the soldiers and Arakan Army (AA) members broke out.

According to the local residents, the sound of explosions was heard from the army camp and it scared them. A woman from Sittwe informed Narinjara News that she heard the sound of artillery firing at about 3 pm on 21 November.

"The second was stronger. They continued shooting. The sound was so loud that the entire locality witnessed a panicky situation,” she added in the afternoon hours.

Another woman told Narinjara News that she ran away from home because of the loud sound.

"I heard a loud sound of shelling. Soon I closed my shop and ran away," she added.

The junta battalion in the north of Kandaw Gyi lake (a major water reservoir in Sittwe locality) fired the shelling towards Pauk Taw township.

A strategic observer revealed that whenever the junta forces lose any battle, they often use heavy weapons and even air attacks. The military personnel faced a heavy loss in the continued conflicts against the AA in Pauk Taw locality and hence they fired all the rockets.