Late on January 24, the AA said its fighters had “complete control” of Pauktaw, a town of 20,000 people near a key deep-water port in the capital of western Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Prior to this announcement, AA had occupied Pauktaw for about a day in November 2023.

The AA's move shattered a fragile ceasefire that has held since Myanmar's military took power in 2021. Since then, junta artillery and naval vessels have fired on the town almost daily, as have helicopter attacks, residents told AFP .

The latest images from Google Earth show the central Pauktaw area in a state of near total destruction, with some buildings near the port also damaged. Some buildings in the police headquarters area were also destroyed.

AFP has not been able to verify AA's claim. Communication with Pauktaw is still not open.

An AA source told AFP earlier this week that the group's fighters were carrying out "sweeping operations" in the town.

Earlier on January 23, AA said there were "fierce" clashes taking place in the town.

Myanmar authorities have not commented on the recent clashes in Pauktaw.

Some 18,000 people have been displaced from the area by fighting, the United Nations said in November 2023.

Pauktaw is 25km east of the Rakhine state capital Sittwe. The town is home to a deep-sea port built partly with funding from India to boost economic links with Myanmar.

Travel between Sittwe and Pauktaw is now severely restricted due to the new checkpoints, a Pauktaw resident in Sittwe told AFP on January 25.

AA is one of three members of the Brotherhood Alliance that launched "Operation 1027" to launch a surprise attack on government troops in Shan State in northern Myanmar on October 27. The other two members are the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).