နိုင်နိုင် On July 11, BBM learned that the 344th Artillery Battalion, located in Mrauk San village on the Gwa-Nga Thaing Chaung road in Ayeyarwady Region, is continuously firing heavy weapons and mortars, even though the fighting has calmed down recently.
Military sources in the Ayeyarwady Region said that heavy weapons are continuously firing at villages near the artillery and at areas where the Arakan Army (AA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDF) are thought to be present.
“The artillery is firing heavy weapons and mortars every day. In the past, they only fired four or five rounds. Now, they are firing more than ten rounds a day,”
said an Irrawaddy military source who lives near the artillery battalion. In early July, the Arakan Army (AA) and the Revolutionary Joint Force (PDF) opened fire on the 344th Battalion with heavy weapons, resulting in fierce fighting between the two sides.
Currently, the military situation on both sides is calm, and they are firing heavy weapons day and night because they are worried that the AA and the PDF will soon approach the artillery battalion, according to military sources close to the AA.
“I heard that the artillery is surrounded by AA and allied forces. I can’t say what day or what time. So the artillery is threatening the places where the revolutionary forces are. They are firing day and night,”
the military source said. Due to the continuous heavy weapons fire from the 344th Artillery Battalion, residents living near the artillery battalion are reportedly fleeing to nearby towns such as Nga Thaing Chaung, Yae Kyi Township, and other areas.
On July 30, the Arakan Army (AA) and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) attacked the 344th Battalion, killing more than 20 members of the military junta and injuring more than 50 others.
The 344th Artillery Battalion (AA) is located in Mrauk San village, near the junction of Pathein-Monywa Road and Gwa-Nga Thaing Road, on the border between Rakhine and Ayeyarwady.
