Two groups allied to the Arakan Army (AA) say they successfully ambushed regime forces on the Ann-Padan road, linking Rakhine State and Magway Region, in two separate incidents on Wednesday.
Naung Thurein, commander of the People’s Revolution Alliance (PRA) of Magway, said the group intercepted three junta vehicles, carrying an estimated 50 troops, at a location about 25 miles west of the junta-controlled town of Padan early Wednesday afternoon.
Two of the vehicles, which were also carrying supplies for regime forces stationed in the besieged town of Ann, were destroyed in the ambush and ensuing clash, he said.
At least nine junta soldiers were killed in the fighting, he added. However, Myanmar Now was unable to independently verify the number of casualties.
The PRA was one of several groups that captured 14 junta soldiers, including their commander, Major Zaw Htet Naung, on the Ann-Padan road in Magway’s Ngape Township on November 23.
The Asho Chin Defence Force (ACDF), another group active in the area, said that it also carried out an ambush on Wednesday, capturing 12 junta troops, including a captain, and seizing three guns and ammunition.
No further details about the incident were available at the time of reporting.
Resistance forces say they have captured at least 40 junta troops along the Ann-Padan road since late October, as the regime attempts to use it to send reinforcements to Ann, where its Western Regional Military Command (RMC) is headquartered.
All prisoners of war are being treated humanely and in accordance with international law while in detention, the groups insist.
“They are being held in a secure location. Those who were wounded are receiving medical attention. And they are eating the same food as us,” said ACDF spokesperson Salai Khani Li Bawi.
The AA has intensified its efforts to capture the town of Ann, including the Western RMC headquarters, in recent weeks, having already taken control of a number of key bases in the surrounding area.
Desperate to avoid losing another regional command following the fall of the Northeastern RMC headquarters in Lashio in August, the regime has spared no effort in trying to hold onto Ann.
According to PRA commander Naung Thurein, junta troops stationed in Natyaekan, a village in Ngape Township near the Rakhine border, have been shelling AA positions around Ann on a daily basis.
“We don’t know the detailed battle situation in Ann, but we know the junta has bee using the Natyaekan radar station and microwave tower station to provide artillery support and carry out coordinated missile launches,” he said.
