ARSA Militants Abduct Civilians, Including Teenage Girl, in Southern Maungdaw
In a disturbing escalation of cross-border violence, three civilians — including a 16-year-old girl — were abducted early Friday morning by the Bangladesh-based Islamist militant group ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) in southern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State, according to local reports.
The abducted villagers were identified as Ma Mie Sanda (16), Maung Ba Htun (41), and Maung Htun Aye (20) from Kin Chaung Village. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. near the Mayu mountain range, where they had gone to tend their cattle.
Eyewitnesses said that six villagers were herding cattle when about seven armed ARSA militants appeared and seized them. One villager managed to flee and alert nearby local defense forces. Two elderly men, U Pan Chay (52) and U Ba Htun (56), were later found safe, but the other three remain missing.
“They came armed, about seven men. They took six locals, but one escaped. We’ve since recovered two of the older men. The girl and two others are still missing,” said a Kin Chaung villager.
Local defense groups have launched search operations in the surrounding area.
The abduction marks yet another instance of ARSA’s growing incursions from Bangladeshi territory into Rakhine State. The group, alongside other Islamist armed organizations, has been linked to a series of killings, kidnappings, and ambushes targeting civilians in northern Rakhine — especially in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships.
Just two days earlier, on October 22, ARSA militants ambushed a passenger vehicle on the Set Yipyin–Kyauk Pandu road, killing two women and injuring a three-year-old girl and two men.
In response to the rising violence, the Arakan Army (AA) issued a public safety warning on October 23, urging civilians and travelers to remain vigilant amid the growing threat of militant activity along the Bangladesh–Arakan frontier.
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