Renewed fighting between AA and Myanmar military injures two youths

17 January 2019
Renewed fighting between AA and Myanmar military injures two youths
An Arakan Army rebel soldier at an undisclosed location. Photo: Youtube

Fresh skirmishes between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army in violence-scarred northern Rakhine state have left two youths injured and forced about 200 villagers to flee their homes in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, RFA reported.

The two boys, ages 10 and 18, were injured and one house was destroyed when a stray mortar shell exploded in Maungdaw’s Yan Aung Myin village, though it is unclear whether the Myanmar Army or the AA fired the shell, said village head Thein Naing Win.

About 200 residents of Ooyinthar village fled to Sango Taung village amid fighting on Tuesday, villagers said, bringing the total number of displaced civilians in the region to roughly 6,000 estimated by local relief groups since armed conflict between AA and Myanmar troops ratcheted up in early December, locals said.