64 Civilians — Including Buddhist Monks — Killed in Maungdaw in Four Months as Junta–ARSA Joint Forces Target Residents

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At least 64 civilians, including Buddhist monks, were killed in Maungdaw town between May and August 2024 during coordinated operations carried out jointly by Myanmar junta troops and extremist ARSA militants, according to AB News field investigations.

Witnesses and local sources confirm that soldiers from Border Guard Police Battalion Na Kha Kha-5 and other junta combat units collaborated with ARSA and RSO militants, conducting widespread abductions, torture, and killings against civilians of all religions — Rakhine Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims.

Systematic Killings and Torture

Residents reported that during peak clashes with the Arakan Army (AA), junta–ARSA units:

  • shot unarmed civilians in public areas,

  • raided houses and murdered entire families,

  • burned homes after dousing them with gasoline,

  • abducted civilians to military compounds where many were executed.

AB News has compiled a registry listing the victims’ names, ages, and locations as part of an ongoing war crimes investigation in northern Arakan.

Local sources also revealed that the junta provided military training, weapons, and operational support to ARSA and other extremist groups to defend strategic positions in Buthidaung and Maungdaw.

AA’s Evacuation and Military Advances

In August 2024, the Arakan Army successfully evacuated tens of thousands of Rakhine, Muslim, and Hindu civilians trapped as human shields inside Maungdaw, as documented in AB News archives.

On December 8, 2024, the AA overran the Na Kha Kha-5 base, capturing senior officers including Lt. Col. Thurein Htun, commander of Operations Command No. 15.
An AA report on December 10 stated that over 450 junta soldiers were killed in the battle.
Following the base’s collapse, Maungdaw came fully under AA control, enabling the establishment of a new civil administrative framework.

Rise of Cross-Border Islamist Militancy

Despite the junta’s expulsion, Islamist militant groups — ARSA, RSO, ARA, and RIM — have intensified cross-border operations from Bangladesh, attempting to regain footholds around Maungdaw.

They remain active in areas such as:

  • Kyikanpyin

  • Welartaung

  • Kyainchaung

  • Phawotchaung

  • Taungpyo

  • Nanthataung

  • Leipyar Road

Community security teams report ongoing ambushes, forced abductions, and executions of civilians as these groups clash with the AA.

Civilian Death Toll Likely Higher

The 64 confirmed deaths reflect only casualties documented within Maungdaw town.
Data from remote villages and rural areas remain incomplete, and local sources warn that the true number of civilian victims is likely far higher as investigations continue.


https://x.com/ArakanBaynews/status/1993333985213304861?s=20



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