Captured Soldiers Reveal Orders to Exterminate Rakhine Civilians in War with AA
Narinjara News, September 20, 2026
Two Myanmar military soldiers captured by the Arakan Army (AA) have revealed that they were ordered to exterminate Arakanese (Rakhine) civilians encountered during the fighting between Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships.
The two soldiers, interviewed by AA officials, were identified as Aung Pyae Sone (Serial No. T/602735) and Michael (Serial No. P/184555). Both belong to the Light Infantry Battalion 252 under the Pakokku-based No. 101 Light Infantry Division (LID).
"The order was given to completely wipe out Rakhine State, leaving no roots behind. We were told that if we encounter Rakhine people, we should leave nothing behind, no women, no men, no children," Private Michael stated openly during the interview.
Michael was reportedly captured on September 16, 2026, at a bridge over the Min River near Amyint Kyun village.
"I was arrested while storing firearms. Before my capture, our unit was engaging the enemy. We were instructed to hold our positions and act as guards against the AA. However, our superiors retreated one by one without providing any report or response. Left behind, I was eventually captured by the AA," Michael explained.
He added that higher-ranking military officials issued sweeping directives to devastate the region: "They ordered us to expand the battlefields across every city and direction to completely eradicate Rakhine State."
Similarly, Private Aung Pyae Sone confirmed that senior military commanders instructed them to execute anyone they encountered, regardless of age, and to plunder local communities.
"The instruction was to kill any Rakhine people we saw. If we encountered children or adults, we were told to shoot them all. If we saw cows or chickens, we were ordered to seize them. Everything was to be looted, and any local residents were to be shot dead," Aung Pyae Sone said.
He also noted that troops were forbidden from retreating.
"We were ordered not to back down under any circumstances. They told us to hold our positions, but the situation behind us was chaotic," he added.
The two prisoners were part of a group of four soldiers captured by the AA on September 16, 2026, following intense clashes near Kuan Daung and Amyint Kyun villages along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun axis.
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