Three people died and six others were injured by junta artillery strikes in Arakan State’s Minbya Township on Monday, according to local residents. Among the victims were children and a schoolteacher.
Five people were reportedly injured in Singyi Pyin Village; two died and one other was injured in Palaung Pyin Village; and one died in Htaung Chaung Gyi Village.
Fighting broke out after the Arakan Army (AA) carried out a mine attack on junta troops near Ngar Tan Pyin Bridge in Minbya at around noon. Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 380, 541 and 379, based in Minbya town, subsequently shelled villages in the south of Minbya Township, said locals. Five women and girls, including a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old, suffered injuries.
“The first shell hit a house, but no one was injured. But another one hit another house, and all the people [inside] were injured by flying debris from the blast,” a resident of Singyi Pyin told DMG.
A 10-year-old girl and a 23-year-old woman were killed by an artillery strike in Palaung Pyin. Another woman, age 60, was also injured.
A resident who asked for anonymity said: “They fired shells toward our village. Around 10 shells landed near our village. Then one shell hit our village, killing two and wounding one.”
Teacher Daw Ma Mya Saw from Htaung Chaung Gyi Village was hit by shrapnel and killed as she left the school, said locals.
“The teacher left the school around 3 p.m. She died immediately when the shell was fired by junta troops from Mt. Kyeing Taung hit the village,” said a local resident.
AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha confirmed the fighting.
“We clashed with the Myanmar military near Ngar Tan Pyin Bridge in Minbya at around 11 a.m. The clash lasted for around 20 minutes. The Myanmar military fired artillery shells at nearby villages,” said the AA spokesman.
He said the fighting occurred after junta troops approached an AA base, adding that the Myanmar military suffered casualties.
DMG was unable to contact junta spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun and Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura to confirm reports of the junta’s fatal shelling.
