The Arakan Army successfully captured the Khan Kha Mountain Strategic Camp-one of the remaining strategic camps of the junta in the Palatwa Area of Chin State on January 13, the Three Brotherhood Alliance reported.
“There are a lot of important camps. The ULA/AA has cleared out, one by one, Hnone Bu, Traun Aing, Tinma, and Chin Letwa. It is not easy for the junta army to re-invade the Paletwa region. It could also become a liberated area for the ULA/AA,” Pe Than, a Rakhine political analyst, told MPA.
Since the beginning of Operation 1027 in Rakhine State and Chin State, the fighting has been intensifying, and the Arakan Army has captured 142 military camps and strategic hills (camps) in the two regions during the 45-day period of the operation.
During the 45-day period from October 27 to December 10, 2023, when Operation 1027 began, the Arakan Army occupied 17 military camps and strategic hills (camps) in Paletwa Township, Chin State. There are more military camps that were seized by the AA at the beginning of this year.
“The Arakan Army is trying to clear along the direction of the Kalatan River, so if the junta army is gone, I think that Rakhine State and the Paletwa region will be able to go back to normal. The goods that are closed by the junta army can be sent back to one town to one town, and one village to one village will return to normal. We will also be able to buy goods from India. It will be a breath of fresh air for the residents of Rakhine State and Chin State,” said a resident of Rakhine State.
Since the military junta and the Arakan Army started fighting in Rakhine State in November 2023, the military junta has blocked all the routes that can export goods to Paletwa Township, Chin State, and it has cut phone and internet connections – according to Paletwa residents.
“We are not allowed to import anything – from food to fuel. The economy is in quite a crisis. When medicine cannot be imported, health will also become a problem,” said a Paletwa resident.
It is reported that the Arakan Army has taken control of Khan Kha Mountain strategic camp, which is the last strategic base of the military junta in the Paletwa region, where the battle is fierce, as well as the “Meewa strategic hill (camp)” located between Paletwa and Kyauktaw.