Myanmar’s military government did not immediately comment. Maungdaw, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, has been the target since June of an Arakan Army offensive. The group captured Paletwa and Buthidaung, two other towns on the border with Bangladesh, earlier this year. The Myanmar town of Maungdaw, seen from the Teknaf area of Bangladesh just across the border on September 26, 2024. Mohammad Ponir Hossain/ReutersSince November 2023, the Arakan Army has gained control of 11 of Rakhine’s 17 townships, along with one in neighboring Chin state.

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Persons: Myanmar’s, Aung, Suu Kyi, Khaing, Thurein Tun, Khaing Thukha, Mohammad Ponir Hossain Organizations: Bangkok AP, Arakan Army, Associated, Reuters, Rakhine Locations: Bangkok, Maungdaw, Bangladesh, Arakan, Rakhine, Suu, Mandalay, Myanmar’s, Myanmar, Chin, Ann, Bay, Bengal, Buthidaung, China