The Arakan Army launches new offensive, closing in on Sittwe

The Arakan Army (AA), which now controls over half of Rakhine State, has launched a fierce assault on Sittwe earlier this week, the capital of Rakhine. In response, Myanmar’s military junta has escalated its attacks, conducting airstrikes on areas surrounding the city. Local sources report that the AA first began shelling junta military positions in Sittwe. On Tuesday, the junta retaliated, targeting nearby villages with airstrikes. At around 2:45 pm, an airstrike hit the village of Kwan Daung, located in Ponnagyun Township, about 25 miles south of the Rakhine capital.On Monday night, at approximately 8:00pm, airstrikes also hit Thekhon and Nga Phye Gyum villages in Pauktaw Township, just a few miles to the east of the city.“They bombed Pauktaw yesterday, and today they bombed Ponnagyun,” one local source stated. “The junta is indiscriminately targeting villages around Sittwe.”Ponnagyun lies to the north of Sittwe, while Pauktaw is to the northeast—both are under the AA’s control. Despite the ongoing airstrikes, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries.Yet on February 8 and 13, the junta launched aerial assaults and indiscriminate gunfire, resulting in at least five civilian deaths and 16 injuries across Rakhine State. Earlier this month, a series of junta airstrikes also killed at least 10 people in Ponnagyun and Myebon townships. Dozens of others were killed in airstrikes on Ramree Township in January. The AA, a powerful ethnic armed group which controls the majority of Rakhine’s townships, has called for political dialogue with the junta. But with the military’s continued airstrikes, the fighting is expected to intensify.Sources close to the AA report that the armed group has surrounded and blockaded the junta’s military bases in Sittwe, positioning itself for an imminent offensive."Sittwe has been besieged,” one source told Myanmar Now. “The junta cannot move freely, and the AA is prepared to launch an assault at any time.” Since February 7, the AA has been shelling junta positions in Sittwe with heavy artillery, continuing for nearly three days. Pe Than, a longtime politician with close ties to the Arakan Army (AA), told Myanmar Now that the AA has indeed launched its assault on Sittwe. His statement suggests the city may soon become the first of the junta’s last three remaining strongholds to fall.“Since early February, the AA has been tightening its siege around Sittwe,” he said. “They have been shelling the city from a distance.” While the AA has made significant territorial gains across Rakhine, the junta continues to hold key administrative cities, including Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung.Although the conflict is intensifying, the AA has taken steps toward negotiations, recently releasing 198 prisoners of war, including 197 family members of junta officers, such as one deputy police colonel, according to an AA statement.Earlier in February, the AA also freed 142 people, including 116 family members of junta personnel and 26 civilian prisoners. “Sittwe is likely the first target, and the AA is fully prepared for war,” Pe Than said. “The junta has reinforced its defenses, but the AA is ready. Arakan Army fighters disable a howitzer advancing from Sittwe during the battle for Ponnagyun Township. (Photo: Supplied)

The Arakan Army launches new offensive, closing in on Sittwe

With Sittwe surrounded and key junta positions under fire, the Arakan Army moves to claim Rakhine’s capital

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