A high school building in Nyaung Chaung village under Gwa township of Rakhine State, caught fire following airstrikes conducted by the junta forces after the soldiers withdrew due to an offensive carried out by the Arakan Army (AA).
"This morning, the school caught fire after the junta's airstrikes. We could only see it from a distance while fleeing and so we don’t know details of the damage. The buildings are lined up, so the main building was damaged," said a resident of Nyaung Chaung village.
The village, which has over 300 households, witnessed the AA fighters rescue half of the population trapped in their residences.
"After the AA took control of Nyaung Chaung village, more than half of the villagers were rescued by them and later the villagers were taken to Satthwa. Some villagers escaped towards Zee Kone. Thanks to the timely evacuation, we didn’t hear of any casualties during the airstrikes," said another villager.
Following the AA’s capture of Nyaung Chaung village, the junta forces stationed there retreated towards Gwa in disarray. The gun fighting also erupted in Ah Lel Chaung village during the afternoon hours as the AA fighters continued pursuing.
The clashes took place between the junta soldiers and AA fighters in Zee Kone and Tin Taw before the soldiers retreated towards Gwa.
The fighting continued when the junta forces, stationed in Ywar Thit Kone village-5 miles north of Gwa- were attacked by the AA fighters as they retreated towards Ah Lel Chaung village, located in front of Ywar Thit Kone.
Residents reported that the junta forces received support from the airstrikes and naval artillery shelling during the clashes.
A resident from Gwa said, “The artillery shells were fired by the 563rd and 562nd battalions from Gwa. The navy is also shelling and the air forces were carrying out a series of airstrikes. As the gunfire was constantly launched the ground shook many times. We’ve heard that the AA is advancing over Phar Lar mountain. The fighting is still going on in Ah Lel Chaung.”
The residents added that six junta vehicles from Gwa are currently heading towards Ywar Thit Kone to evacuate the wounded individuals and deliver reinforcements.
