Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, October 7
The Myanmar military junta has been carrying out heavy airstrikes against former military battalion and divisional positions in Kyauktaw Township that are now under the control of the Arakan Army (AA).
At around 7 a.m. today, October 7, the junta carried out airstrikes for nearly three hours on former junta positions in Kyauktaw Township, including the headquarters of No. 9 Military Operations Command and the former No. 376 Light Infantry Battalion.
The junta also conducted airstrikes near Kyaung Pho Village in Kyauktaw Township, causing local residents to remain worried throughout the night, according to local sources.
Military observers said the airstrikes appear to be aimed at destroying rear defensive positions before they can be reinforced, and that the intensity of air attacks could increase further.
“We have noticed that the military is targeting not only active battlefields but also rear defensive positions. More recently, we have seen increasingly heavy attacks on former military bases. These attacks indicate that the airstrikes are likely to continue at a high intensity,” a military observer told Border News Agency.
In addition, the junta carried out airstrikes on October 6 against the former No. 5 Military Operations Command headquarters and former battalion positions near Taungup.
Furthermore, on the night of October 5, the junta carried out an airstrike on a prison near Chaung Tu Village in Kyauktaw Township. Sources within the Arakha People’s Revolutionary Government said that several prisoners detained by the Arakan Army, including prisoners of war, as well as some AA personnel, were killed or injured in the attack.
Former junta air force personnel who have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) told Border News Agency that although the junta’s air superiority may not be decisive enough to change the outcome of the conflict, it can maintain the intensity of fighting.
“We are seeing heavy airstrikes by the military in addition to Ponnagyun, including in Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U. Ponnagyun and Kyauktaw appear to be the main targets. Recently, aircraft have been coming in groups and conducting attacks, as though they are carrying out systematic strikes on military positions,” a military observer told Border News Agency.
The junta is conducting an offensive to retake Ponnagyun Township, which is controlled by the Arakan Army, while the Arakan Army is also launching a counteroffensive to seize Sittwe Township.
As fighting between the two sides has intensified along the border between Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships, the junta has been carrying out combined ground, naval, and air attacks almost daily.
The junta is also reportedly conducting near-daily airstrikes along the Sittwe–Paletwa and Kaladan corridor, targeting mountain areas between the Sittwe–Yangon highway and the Mayu and Kaladan rivers.
