The Arakan Army (AA) announced on Thursday that it had seized full control of Taungup town in southern Arakan State, which is located 284 miles (457 km) south of the state capital Sittwe, on Nov. 24.
“Efforts were made to evacuate local residents near the enemy’s [military] positions to minimize civilian casualties in order to ensure the local population would be safe from conflict zones,” the AA stated on Nov. 28.
It captured multiple military and government facilities, checkpoints, and a police station after it launched its offensive on Taungup Nov. 7. The AA added that it is attacking the No. 5 Military Operations Command Headquarters (MOC), outside of Taungup, along with the Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 346 and 544, which fall under the command of the No. 5 MOC.
There are a total of three MOCs in Arakan State. The AA overran the No. 15 MOC in Buthidaung Township in May and the No. 9 MOC in Kyauktaw in February. The AA was accused of burning down over 7,500 homes and at least six mosques in Buthidaung, home to an estimated 260,000 Rohingya, before it seized the town on May 18.
Over the past few months, the AA has mostly shifted its offensive from northern Arakan to Ann, Taungup, and Gwa townships in the central and southern parts of the state. Ann town is 199 miles (320 km) southwest of Sittwe and is where the Western Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters is based.
The AA has taken full control of 10 townships in Arakan State, as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chinland, since it launched its offensive on Nov. 13, 2023.
About 30 civilians have been reportedly killed during fighting in Taungup Township over the last six months. The AA did not report any casualties on Nov. 28, but claimed that an unknown number of civilian infrastructure was destroyed by military airstrikes and artillery attacks.
