Junta conducts airstrikes at ancient city of Mrauk-U

Junta forces conducted airstrikes near historic sites in Rakhine State on Wednesday during a clash with Arakan Army (AA) fighters who had intercepted one of their convoys, local sources said. The military vehicles were reportedly carrying more than 100 troops from two different army outposts in Minbya Township, Rakhine State to a police station in Mrauk-U. The vehicles reportedly triggered explosives set in their path by the AA in eastern Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, leading to a battle lasting from noon until 4pm, according to a local resident. “Junta soldiers left the two tactical bases where they were stationed and started heading towards Mrauk-U. They suffered a lot of casualties, so they resorted to airstrikes. They fired from the air at pagodas and around the battlefield,” he said. The local man added that the military used a helicopter to carry out an hourlong attack from the air during the battle. Although there had been no civilian casualties, the airstrike caused damage to pagodas at a nearby historic site, he said. Mrauk-U was the capital of the Mrauk-U Kingdom, a Rakhine polity that arose in the fifteenth century and held dominion for more than 350 years before its conquest by the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty. The city and surrounding historic sites still hold a significant place in the cultural heritage of the Rakhine people. Preserved areas of the ancient city of Mrauk-U have been proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and have been on a tentative list since 1996. The AA is one of three ethnic armed organisations in the Brotherhood Alliance, which initiated a sweeping offensive against the Myanmar junta at the end of October. In a statement released on Thursday, the alliance said the military had conducted airstrikes near pagodas in the eastern and northern areas of Mrauk-U Township. AA troops seen during disaster relief operations in June following Cyclone Mocha (AA Info Desk) The statement also claimed that there had been damage to the Yadanar Man Aung Pagoda inside the historic site, as well as to the sleeping chambers in the monastery on the pagoda’s compound. Myanmar Now has been unable to confirm the number of casualties on either side of the battle. The army fired heavy artillery in the direction of the battle from various bases in neighbouring townships, according to the Brotherhood Alliance’s statement. The statement also claimed that the military detained more than 50 civilians from boats on the Kaladan River west of Mrauk-U following the battle. The military regime’s spokesperson Maj.-Gen. Zaw Min Tun confirmed that a battle had occurred near Mrauk-U in a regime-run newspaper, but did not mention airstrikes or the arrests of civilians. “The AA built bunkers and temporary fortifications among the national heritage pagodas in Mrauk-U Township before they attacked us,” the junta spokesperson said.He added that the AA and anti-junta forces were deliberately disrupting social and economic stability and agitating the public to sow unrest.

Junta conducts airstrikes at ancient city of Mrauk-U

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