Fighting has further intensified in Arakan State’s Gwa Township as the regime is fiercely defending its positions against an AA offensive.
The AA began attacking junta reinforcements heading to Gwa Township on November 24. The column reportedly included 184 junta soldiers from battalions in Ayeyarwady and Yangon regions.
They were attacked between Thankae Kyaing and Kinpone villages in Gwa for three days, the AA reported on Friday. More than 120 junta soldiers were killed, others were captured alive, and large hauls of weapons and ammunition were seized, it said.
AA troops are pursuing the remaining junta reinforcements who managed to flee, the ethnic armed group added.
The regime has been deploying warplanes and drones, as well as naval artillery strikes, to defend Gwa Town, said the AA.
A military source said: “Fighting occurs almost daily. Now the AA is quite close to Gwa Town. The regime is reinforcing its positions to prevent losing Gwa, but I have heard continuous ambushes of junta reinforcements by the AA and other PDF [People’s Defence Force] groups.”
AA troops have reached Yahai Kutoe Village, which is just one mile from Gwa Town, with fighting taking place in surrounding areas.
The regime has reinforced Gwa with two artillery units and has been regularly bringing in reinforcements from Ayeyarwady Region since the end of November, said a source.
“The regime has added two artillery units in Gwa. It has sent reinforcements three times a week, and there were at least five trucks each time,” he told DMG.
The AA seized some five junta positions including an artillery unit in rural Gwa last month.
As the AA has seized Ann Town, which is the gateway to central Myanmar, the regime is desperate to retain its control of Gwa, the gateway to Ayeyarwady Region, said an Arakan social activist.
“Given the current situation in Arakan, it looks like the regime is about to lose control of Ann. And Gwa is the only other town bordering the mainland. So, the regime is desperately defending it,” he said.
The AA has seized 13 towns in Arakan State plus Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State over the past year.
