RAKHINE STATE – The Arakan Army (AA) reportedly captured the “Taw Hein” military council strategic hill at Ann near the Western Command, Rakhine State. It is also reported that many military troops were killed and injured and some were captured as prisoners of war.
“The Arakan Army has got the Taw Hein Mount strategic base. The fighting went on for months. It is reported that some prisoners of war were captured,” said a source close to AA.
The AA has been attacking the Taw Hein strategic camp located in Taw Hein Mountain, near Kazukai Village, Ann Township, since the beginning of last February. On the evening of February 18, the military troops set fire to the camp and fled, AA released a statement along with a video recording of the fire inside the camp.
However, after a few days, the military council troops were re-deployed and fierce fights broke out.
A source close to AA said that the strategic camp was seized last April 25, but AA has not yet released an official report.
In the video file seen on the social network, the females and children of the military family were seen coming out of the well-built bunkers and escorted by AA troops.
After losing the strategic hill camp, heavy weapons were fired from the IB 373, IB 372, and Military Construction Engineer (GE) troops based in Ann Township, under the command of the Western Command .
“The strategic hill is already captured. AA is sweeping the area and catching those military soldiers who ran away. If they don’t surrender, AA will do as they say,” said a resident of Ann.
Last February, Brigadier General Tin Lat Oo, the commander of the Western Command who has now been suspended, ordered the construction of bomb shelters at the camps in Ann Township to withstand the threat of drone bombs if they were attacked.
However, in the third week of March, the military council suffering losses in Rakhine State dismissed General Tin Lat Oo from his position and appointed Brigadier General Kyaw Swar Oo in his place.
The military council and the AA
have been fighting at Thandwe, Toungup, Buthidaung, and Maungdaw Townships in addition to Ann Township as offensives to occupy the military bases have been accelerated. AA also issued a Martial Law not to go out between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships on April 26.
On the military council’s social networking pages, they are saying that the fighting is intense in Ann, Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships and calling for reinforcements from both ground and air strikes to fight more intensively.