The Arakan Army (AA) has made a significant breakthrough, claiming to have breached the Maung Shwe Lay Naval Base—the Myanmar junta's last bastion in Thandwe Township, Rakhine State. The base, along with nearby Kwin Wyne, is a strategic naval outpost nestled near the picturesque Ngapali Beach, now caught in the crossfire.

"Fighting is raging around Maung Shwe Lay and Kwin Wyne naval bases," AA spokesman Khaing Thukha shared, as the conflict intensifies in the region.

The AA’s assault on Maung Shwe Lay comes in the wake of their capture of Thandwe town and Ngapali Beach just last month. A source close to the ethnic army revealed, “Our troops have penetrated parts of the naval base and have taken control of most of it. Junta soldiers are abandoning their posts, and we are clearing the area."

Further down the coast, in Kyeintali, fierce battles continue to rage. In response, the junta has bolstered its defenses at Maung Shwe Lay, deploying additional naval vessels from Pathein, swelling the base's fleet to about eight Navy boats. These boats have been ferrying reinforcements and artillery supplies, crucial for the regime’s ongoing efforts to hold the line.

As the AA advances, the junta has resorted to aerial bombardments on nearby villages, causing civilian casualties, according to AA reports. This marks another grim chapter in the ongoing Rakhine offensive, which the AA launched in November. Since then, they have seized control of multiple townships, including Pauktaw, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U, as well as much of Maungdaw Township on the Bangladesh border.

The battle for Maung Shwe Lay is emblematic of the broader struggle unfolding in Myanmar—a conflict that has torn through regions and left a trail of devastation in its wake.