CNN —Renewed hostilities between the Myanmar military and ethnic minority armed group the Arakan Army (AA) have spread to various townships in western Myanmar, including Pauktaw, where civilians have been caught in the crossfire as fighting escalates. The renewed fighting has displaced more than 26,000 people in the country’s western Rakhine state since Monday, according to UNOCHA. Myanmar military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said during a briefing Friday that the Myanmar army and police force had retaken the Pauktaw police station and that the town “was already under control” of the military. Airstrikes and ground attacks on what the Myanmar military calls “terrorist” targets have been occurred regularly since 2021 and have killed thousands of civilians to date, including children, according to monitoring groups. “The sick man can’t die peacefully.”

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Persons: “, ”, UNOCHA, Zaw Min Tun, Min Aung Hlaing, Nan Diya, Suak, can’t Organizations: CNN, Myanmar, Arakan Army, AA, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Army, Myanmar’s, Administration Council, SAC Locations: Myanmar, Pauktaw, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Rakhine, Arakan