The Arakan Army (AA) says it has captured two forward outposts held by the Myanmar military near the border between Arakan State and the Ayeyarwady Region, marking the latest reported territorial gains in the expanding conflict beyond Arakan.
In a statement released on July 5, the AA said its forces seized the first outpost on July 2. The position was located approximately 1.1 kilometers west of the Myanmar military's Point 227 hill base in Yekyi Township. A second position, identified as the Tower Hill outpost and situated about one kilometer from Point 227, was reportedly captured the following day during a separate counteroffensive.
The AA said its forces recovered weapons, ammunition, and the bodies of several Myanmar military personnel during the operations.
According to the group, troops from the Myanmar military's Light Infantry Battalion 108, operating under the 66th Light Infantry Division, retreated toward Point 227 after sustaining what the AA described as heavy casualties. It said its forces are continuing military operations against the withdrawing troops.
The reported captures follow a series of battlefield advances claimed by the AA in Yekyi Township. The group previously announced that it had seized the Myanmar military's Point 288, Point 188, and Point 148 hill positions during operations conducted between June 17 and June 19.
The AA said clashes have continued almost daily since those offensives, alleging that Myanmar military forces have reinforced their positions and launched repeated counterattacks in an attempt to regain lost territory.
The group further claimed that the Myanmar military has deployed additional troops from Pathein to reinforce Artillery Battalion 344, while sending reinforcements to the Laymyethna Township area and expanding troop deployments along the Pathein–Monywa highway to strengthen control over the route.
According to the AA, Myanmar military forces have continued to employ heavy artillery, airstrikes, and suicide drones against its positions, with intense fighting ongoing across the area.
The claims made by the Arakan Army could not be independently verified, and the Myanmar military had not issued any public statement regarding the reported capture of the two outposts at the time of publication.
Photo: AA Info Desk
