Fresh fighting in Myanmar sparks fear among residents along Teknaf border
Gunfire started around 9pm in the Maungdaw area across the border.
Fresh fighting inside Myanmar triggered panic along Bangladesh's Teknaf border on Wednesday night (1 July), as loud explosions and the sound of fighter jets echoed across the frontier, shaking homes in several border villages.
According to residents, a series of powerful blasts began shortly after 9pm from across the border in Myanmar's Maungdaw township. The explosions were strong enough to shake houses in Teknaf's frontier areas, prompting many people, including children and the elderly, to leave their homes in fear.
Confirming the matter, Lieutenant Colonel Md Hanifur Rahman Bhuiyan, commanding officer of the BGB-2 Battalion in Teknaf, said clashes were taking place between two armed groups inside Myanmar.
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"Gunfire started around 9pm in the Maungdaw area across the border. The sound of the firing is clearly audible in the border areas of Teknaf, and in many places the intensity of the explosions has shaken houses. I am heading to the border area to assess the situation," he said.
He added that preliminary information suggested the fighting was taking place around 18 kilometres from Shah Porir Dwip inside Myanmar and that authorities were gathering further details.
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Anik Chowdhury said, "The situation is being monitored. Border residents have been requested not to panic unnecessarily but to remain cautious."
Acting chairman of Sabrang Union Abdul Mannan said continuous explosions had been heard since around 9pm, with residents of Shah Porir Dwip and nearby areas experiencing the strongest impact.
Local resident Dil Mohammad Dilu said several loud explosions were clearly audible from Teknaf and that flashes of fire could occasionally be seen from the direction of the Naf River.
"After each flash, it disappeared again. This has increased anxiety among local people," he said.
Local sources claimed that by around 10:20pm, Myanmar's air force had dropped at least 27 bombs on positions held by the Arakan Army. However, the claim could not be independently verified.
Similar explosions were also heard along the Teknaf border in December last year during previous rounds of fighting inside Myanmar.
