Myanmar Junta suffers disaster in battle for Rakhine township: AA

The Arakan Army (AA) claims to have killed around 80 junta reinforcements airlifted to Ramree in Rakhine State during a three-day battle for the coastal town.

On Saturday, four military transport helicopters transported 120 soldiers to Ramree town in a bid to halt the advance of AA forces, reports Irrawaddy.com.

The troops came from Infantry Battalion 36 based in Ayeyarwady Region’s Kyonpyaw Township and Light Infantry Battalion 373 based in Rakhine’s Ann Township.

The AA said around 60 of the reinforcements were killed during fighting on Saturday, despite being supported by heavy junta airstrikes. Bodies of the soldiers were retrieved along with a large cache of weapons and ammunition, it added.

The ethnic army said another 20 regime troops were killed as they retreated from the island township on Monday, adding that its forces also seized ammunition and food supplies dropped by a junta Harbin Y-12 transport aircraft.

Clashes in the township began in mid-December when AA troops attacked regime forces stationed at the Aung Chan Thar hilltop pagoda south of Ramree town.

Since then, the junta has been relentlessly bombarding the town from the air, sea and land. Junta shells and bombs have destroyed houses and buildings including the township hospital and Ramree town markets.

Elsewhere in Rakhine State, the AA said it continued to attack the 9th Central Military Training School near Kan Ni village in Minbya Township on Monday as the junta launched heavy airstrikes to defend the stronghold. AA forces have seized several outposts at the school since launching the assault on Feb. 17.

They also continued assaults to seize remaining junta strongholds in Ponnagyun, Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships on Monday.

Regime troops have retaliated to a series of humiliating defeats across Rakhine by intensifying attacks on civilian targets._Agencies.