Myanmar Junta Reinforces Frontline Positions to Defend Sittwe From Arakan Army

The Myanmar military regime has reinforced its frontline positions outside Sittwe, the Rakhine State capital, and is fortifying areas on the road to Ponnagyun Township, which is controlled by the ethnic Arakan Army (AA), according to local sources.

Residents said junta troops have repaired a crucial bridge—which regime forces destroyed early last year—on the Sittwe-Ponnagyun road and pushed into Ponnagyun Township, where they have built large bunkers.

“They deployed drones and artillery constantly as they pressed into Ponnagyun. The AA has had to pull back slightly in that area,” a source close to the AA told The Irrawaddy.