The sounds of warplanes, explosions, and artillery shelling resonated throughout Maungdaw Town on the western border of Arakan (Rakhine) State, during fierce fighting on 4 August 2024.
A Hindu resident of Maungdaw said on 4 August: “The sounds of gunfire were so loud that I couldn't hear clearly enough to talk on the phone. No locals dared to leave their homes. The sounds of the junta's jets and artillery shelling are very noisy. The battle is so fierce that there may be civilian casualties, though I’m not sure yet. Communications have also been cut in many places.”
On 3 August, the Arakan Army (AA) launched renewed offensives targeting junta positions in Maungdaw Town. These included strikes against the Border Guard Police No. 5 (BGP-5) base and other military camps throughout the town where junta soldiers and fighters from junta-affiliated groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and others were stationed.
The AA also captured Shwe Zar Bridge on 3 August before, later that evening, launching a heavy offensive against junta troops and their allied militias stationed in Shwe Zar Village Tract, which led to many junta casualties and other junta soldiers fleeing the area, many of them in civilian clothes.
The AA then used drones to track the fleeing junta soldiers and drop bombs on them, causing them to take refuge in shops and houses in residential areas of Maungdaw Town.
A resident describing the chaotic scene said: “Since last night, soldiers have been fleeing from Shwe Zar Village Tract into Maungdaw Town. The AA used drones to bomb them, causing them to seek refuge in residential areas and streets within the town. We saw some junta soldiers and militiamen hiding in shops around the town. This morning, we saw small groups of soldiers, each consisting of three to four individuals, entering the town, but we couldn’t determine where they were from.”
Also on 3 August, from 3:00 pm, the AA launched successive waves of attacks on multiple villages along the road to Maungdaw Town, including Shwe Zar, Har Bi, Zu La, Myoma Kanyintan, La Thar, Bat Kar Gone Na, and Bo Hum.
In response, two junta jet fighters launched heavy airstrikes in the area of the BGP-5 base on the morning of 4 August.
The fighting intensified on 4 August, according to another resident. He said: “This morning, we saw more than 20 BGP personnel and junta soldiers carrying weapons flee from Shwe Zar Village Tract on the outskirts of Maungdaw across the Shwe Zar Stream towards Myo Oo Village. They then entered Maungdaw Town. Now that the Shwe Zar Bridge is under AA control, it is no longer possible for junta troops to use that bridge to enter the town. We also saw some bodies of BGP personnel and junta-aligned militiamen floating in the Shwe Zar Stream.”
Heavy fighting is ongoing around Maungdaw Town. The junta is constantly firing artillery and in response, the AA is dropping bombs from drones onto the junta’s bases and outposts and into areas where junta troops are hiding.
