AA says it is blocking the Myanmar military’s attempt to advance into Rakhine State from Ayeyarwady

The Arakan Army (AA) announced on Wednesday that it was blocking a Myanmar military offensive to infiltrate into Rakhine State—where the regime has lost almost complete control—from Ayeyarwady Region, which borders Rakhine’s Gwa Township. Regime troops, supported by reinforcements from the Bago-based Light Infantry Division 66, clashed with AA troops in Ayeyarwady’s Thabaung Township on August 1, relying heavily on drone strikes and ground fire. The AA stated that it was able to defend itself and counterattack, inflicting casualties and forcing the junta troops to retreat rapidly, allowing it to seize weapons and ammunition. Clashes continued the following day near Yonepin village in Yegyi Township. Military observer and former Myanmar army officer who defected to the resistance, Captain Zin Yaw, said that although the reinforced junta troops had bolstered efforts to enter Gwa town, it was consistently being driven back by the AA’s defence. “They [the Myanmar military] desperately need to get a foothold somewhere in southern Rakhine for the sake of military dignity. However, the Arakan Army has completely blocked all areas bordering Gwa. That is why even when the junta comes with massive forces, they keep getting repelled,” he commented. Myanmar Now reached out to AA spokesperson, Khaing Thukha, to learn more about the situation but has not received a response. Preparation for the junta’s offensive has been underway in Yegyi Township in Ayeyarwady Region since June, when the regime reinforced bases near its Artillery Unit 344 base with over 400 local and Pathein-based troops. In the final week of June, the AA captured three of the reinforced hilltop camps near the artillery unit. The AA announced on June 27 that it captured three hilltop camps in Yegyi Township (Photo: AA Info Desk) Since fighting erupted in Gwa Township in August 2024, AA-led resistance forces have captured several towns and outposts in Ayeyarwady Region along the Rakhine coast, and penetrated into several key towns in the region’s north. Locals said the junta had attempted to conduct beach landings and enter coastal towns such as Gwa and Thandwe from the sea, but that AA attacks had largely prevented the ships from docking. Four regime vessels had managed to anchor along the Gwa coast, and in July, troops had fired at least 30 heavy artillery shells from the vessels and carried out at least 10 airstrike runs on Gwa Township. The junta is stepping up its aerial attacks as it struggles to advance through its ground and naval operations, resulting in heavy civilian casualties, according the AA. In July, junta airstrikes killed 21 people and injured another 76 in several AA-controlled Rakhine townships, including Gwa, Taungup, and Thandwe, the group said. Since the AA began its anti-junta offensive in November 2023, it has seized 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State. Currently, the junta is launching simultaneous offensives against resistance forces in several areas bordering Rakhine State, including in Magway and Bago regions, as well as southern Chin State, in an attempt to regain lost Rakhine territory.

AA says it is blocking the Myanmar military’s attempt to advance into Rakhine State from Ayeyarwady

Despite a bolstered junta offensive and intensifying air attacks, the AA says it is blocking regime attempts to enter Rakhine State and have seized several bases during the clashes

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