Arakan Army Reports Cross-Border Ambush by Islamist Militants on Arakan-Bangladesh Frontier

News

Global Arakan Network December 15, 2025

Islamist Militants and Locaiton of the Attack

The Arakan Army (AA), the armed wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA), issued a statement on December 15 mentioning Islamist extremist militants of launching a surprise attack on one of its border security posts along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.

According to the statement from the AA's News and Information Department, at approximately 6:30 a.m. on December 13, around 10 armed members of groups identified as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO)—described as "Islamist extremist militant terrorists"—crossed from the Bangladeshi side into Myanmar territory. The attackers targeted a border outpost between Border Posts No. 20 and 21 in Upper Kyee Kyun, Maungdaw District, using small arms and 40mm (79-type) grenade launchers in a brief ambush lasting several minutes.

AA forces returned fire, forcing the militants to retreat back toward a nearby Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) post on the Bangladeshi side.

The AA highlighted that such cross-border incursions, including ambushes on civilians, killings, abductions, and extortion, have occurred repeatedly. The group accused "corrupt BGB officers" of turning a blind eye to or even encouraging these activities, which it said severely disrupts border stability, erodes existing trust between the two sides, and risks unwanted escalations.

This incident comes amid ongoing tensions in northern Rakhine State, where the AA has controlled most areas, including the entire 270km Myanmar-Bangladesh border since capturing the last junta outpost in Maungdaw in December 2024. The AA has frequently accused ARSA and RSO—Rohingya militant groups—of conducting cross-border raids, often alleging support or inaction from Bangladeshi border forces.

The AA controls vast swathes of Rakhine State and has been engaged in intensified fighting with Myanmar's military junta while facing sporadic attacks from Rohingya armed factions.

The statement underscores growing concerns over border security in a region already strained by the Rohingya crisis and Myanmar's broader civil war.