Naung MinThu / Thinzar New, Narinjara News, 20June 2024

The Arakan Army (AA) launched anoffensive against the 5th border guard police battalion (NaKhaKha-5), locatedover two miles from Maungdaw town on the western border of Arakan State, andalso attacked the junta soldiers stationed in Nyaung Chaung (Muslim) village,south of NaKhaKha-5, at around 11:30 am on 18 June.

The juntasoldiers and  AA fighters continued fighting in Nyaung Chaung village formany hours. After the AA fighters fired  improvised rockets overNaKhaKha-5, the soldiers responded with artillery shelling. The local residentscould hear the sound of drone bomb attacks, small arms and machine gun firing.

“The fightingthat began in the morning of 18 June persisted till the next day’s evening,”said a local Muslim resident of Ka Nyin Tan ward under  Maungdaw.

The juntaforces also positioned in Nyaung Chaung (Muslim) village on the south and Zu La(Muslim) village on the north of NaKhaKha-5 with an aim to resist the AAoffensive against Nyaung Chaung and Zu La Muslim villages.

"Nowthe junta soldiers are defending Nyaung Chaung, Pan Taw Pyin, Har Bi and Zu Lavillages. A helicopter-carrying military equipment  stationed at the mouthof Naf river. It remains unclear if  they intended to use artillery shellsor planned to evacuate the place,” said a local resident.

A Muslim resident informed that dueto the ongoing fighting in south Maungdaw, the junta soldiers  firedartillery shells over Nyaung Chaung, Wai Thar Li, Har Bi and Pan Taw Pyinvillages, following which the residents found difficulties in Eid ul-Adhacelebration on 18 June.

Due toairstrikes by the junta forces and ongoing artillery shell firing from themilitary battalions, thousands of local residents left their places.

By now, AAfighters have occupied the outposts of 2nd border guard police battalion(NaKhaKha-2) based in 4-mile. Currently, only a few NaKhaKha-2 and NaKhaKha-5bases in Myo Thu Gyi are out of the AA’s control.