Arakan Army (AA) Commander-in-Chief Major General Tun Myat Naing has accused elements in the Bangladesh’s border security forces of backing Rohingya insurgents in coordinated attacks on an AA base.
In an exclusive interview with The Irrawaddy, he said fighters from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) launched an assault on the base in Maungdaw Township, northern Rakhine State on the night of Sept. 18.
The assault “backed by some Bangladeshi officials” came as the AA is struggling to restore order in areas it liberated from the regime in Rakhine State, the AA chief said.
“Bangladeshi military officers who support militants on the other side of the border told them to attack us,” he said. “Previously, these militant leaders were contacted through intermediaries, but now we have credible intelligence of direct coordination [between them].”
He said the Bangladeshi officials instructed the Muslim militants to attack Taungpyo, which is near the Bangladeshi border, or failing that AA positions north of Taungpyo.
“They told them to attack with whatever weapons they have,” he added.
The Bangladeshi Embassy in Yangon did not respond to The Irrawaddy’s request for comment on Tuesday.
The AA has seized control of nearly all of Rakhine, including Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships bordering Bangladesh.
In a statement on Sept. 19, the AA said the long, porous border has allowed ARSA and RSO fighters to infiltrate Maungdaw, where they have abducted and killed non-Muslim locals, or kidnapped them for ransom, and spread misinformation.
“Once they enter [Rakhine], they kill anyone they spot on the border. Then they put AA uniforms or equipment [on the victims] and claim on social media that they clashed with the AA, but in reality those killed were civilians,” Tun Myat Naing said.
ARSA is a fanatical Muslim insurgent group active in northern Rakhine and has been accused of crimes including the 2017 massacre of Hindu villagers and killings in refugee camps in Bangladesh. It has been declared a terrorist organization by Myanmar and Malaysia.
ARSA has been clashing with the AA since last year, reportedly fighting on the side of the Myanmar junta.
The RSO is an insurgent and political group founded in 1982 after a Myanmar military operation in Rakhine State. It rearmed following the 2021 Myanmar coup, aligning with the junta against the AA but, at the time, opposing ARSA. The RSO has been accused of forcibly recruiting Rohingya child soldiers in Bangladesh refugee camps.
As clashes continue with these armed Muslim groups along the frontier, the AA urged residents to avoid isolated areas and to notify AA administrative and security personnel before traveling to those areas.
Currently, the AA controls 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine State, including the entire 271 km border with Bangladesh.
