The Arakan Army (AA) has captured Division Military Operations Commander (First Grade-G1) Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Lin Kyaing and numerous prisoners of war during battles in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State. The clash occurred near Min Tet Taung village in Kyaukphyu Township at 3 PM on May 30, where the AA captured the Division Commander along with other prisoners of war and their weapons. The military council forces had been launching offensive operations against the AA from their base at a vocational training school located 600 meters north of Min Tet Taung village.
In the ongoing battles in Kyaukphyu Township, many military council troops have been surrendering and being captured in significant numbers. According to AA sources, although military council members are being forced to follow orders from their superiors, morale has completely collapsed at the battalion level, with troops showing no will to fight. Military council members have been continuously surrendering to the AA, either with or without weapons, by raising white flags, while those attempting to flee are being captured daily by AA forces. The AA source explained that they are still in the process of verifying the parent units and divisions of the captured soldiers, noting that the prisoners were not all captured at a single location.
According to CDM Captain Zin Yaw, the military council is facing a severe shortage of operational commanders, forcing strategy officers and G1-level officers to participate in frontline operations. This explains why high-ranking officers are frequently being captured by the AA. He elaborated that while it’s unusual for G1-level officers to participate in operations at the regional command level, those attached to infantry divisions and operational command headquarters often serve as acting strategists when there is a shortage of strategic officers. The military is unable to appoint enough strategic officers to replace those who have been killed, wounded, or captured. Earlier, on May 27, Strategic Officer Colonel Kyaw Myo Aung from the 11th Infantry Division Headquarters was killed by AA fire during battles in Kyaukphyu Township, further highlighting the military council’s leadership crisis in the region.
