Myanmar conducts airstrikes near Bangladesh

Myanmar s armed forces called in fighter aircraft to conduct close air support (CAS) sorties against Arakan Army (AA) in the mountains near Rathedaung_ located barely 50 km from Bangladesh. At least three sorties were reportedly carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Arakan Army (AA) positions_ whilst the Myanmar Navy also shelled the Rakhine rebel group from the river adjacent to the mountains. Representatives from the Rakhine state stated the clashes of 13 October 2020 were the fiercest so far in Rathedaung. In previous clashes the Myanmar military only resorted to using helicopters. The Myanmar Army also employed artillery to attack the Arakan Army (AA) simultaneously. Over 30_000 Rakhine people have been forced to flee their homes during the past two months to escape the brutality of the Myanmar military. Myanmar changed its tactics to focus principally on the Rakhine state_ declaring ceasefire across the country in an effort to subdue the people of the area. Bangladesh has cautioned Myanmar against deploying its military personnel on the international border. It has summoned the Myanmar ambassador in Bangladesh on several occasions and formally notified the United Nations (UN) of Myanmar s activities. Bangladesh is working to repatriate over 1.2 million Myanmar origin people back to Rakhine state after they were forced to flee to Bangladesh following widespread atrocities committed against the Rohingya people. The Bangladesh government has reinforced positions of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and increased patrols along the international border with Myanmar to prevent further infiltration from the Burmese side. A report from irrawaddy said_ Clashes broke out between the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) and the Arakan Army (AA) in mountains near Aungtharzi Village in Rakhine State s Rathedaung Township on Tuesday morning_ with the Myanmar military s ground_ air and naval forces conducting joint operations. Locals reported that two Myanmar military fighter jets carried out aerial attacks three times against positions in the nearby mountains at around 10 a.m._ 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. while ground troops and naval vessels provided supporting artillery fire. Rathedaung resident U Maung Saw Win said_  Clashes have been going on in the mountains near Aungtharzi Village. The Myanmar military came and attacked with jet fighters three times [on Tuesday]. Naval vessels also shelled from the river. I saw smoke near Aungtharzi Village. Upper House lawmaker U Khin Maung Latt of Rathedaung said_  Tuesday s clash was probably the fiercest in Rathedaung so far. In previous clashes_ [the Myanmar military] only used helicopters to drop bombs_ but in the latest clash_ they even used jet fighters. The navy also joined the attacks_ and ground troops shelled with artillery. Locals from Aungtharzi and nearby villages have been fleeing their homes since last month due to the armed conflicts in their area. According to the Rakhine Ethnic Congress_ over 30_000 people have been forced from their homes in Kyauktaw_ Rathedaung and Mrauk-U townships over the past two months. More than 226_000 people have so far been displaced since fighting between the Myanmar military and the AA broke out in 2018.