The Arakan Army’s expanding ties with the national resistance movement is undoubtedly the military’s most critical concern in Rakhine, fueling its increased presence there in recent months and the resulting rise in tensions. It has ousted the military from many of its posts in the state’s north, and by supporting the resistance Peoples Defense Forces and fighting alongside its traditional allies in the east of the country, sharply intensified the challenges the ruling generals face as they struggle to gain control of Myanmar. Meanwhile, Rakhine’s rebel Arakan Army has continued to gain strength. The Rakhine insurgency is putting such pressure on the junta’s thinly stretched ground troops that the ruling generals have been forced to employ heavy weapons, aerial strikes and naval guns against their widely dispersed internal enemies. Police stand in the shade as journalists are led by government officials on a tour of Inn Din, in Rakhine State, Myanmar, on May 29, 2019. ![]() The resumption of war in Rakhine State, in short, could be a hinge on which the future of the resistance’s self-described “Spring Revolution” will turn. Unlike previous rounds of fighting in Rakhine that could be viewed as a localized internal conflict, the renewed violence is taking place in the context of a nationwide civil war triggered by the coup, and its consequences are spreading far beyond the state’s borders. South Korea’s military said no one was hurt and civilian facilities weren’t affected.Serious combat has resumed in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, despite a continuing de facto cease-fire declared by the military just before its coup last year. Security Council to tighten sanctions on the North over its recent missile testing, which it described as a “just counteraction” to joint U.S.-South Korean drills.Īfter the North’s intermediate-range missile launch, the United States and South Korea also carried out their own live-fire drills that have so far involved land-to-land ballistic missiles and precision-guided bombs dropped from fighter jets.īut one of the tit-for-tat launches nearly caused catastrophe early Wednesday when a malfunctioning South Korean Hyumoo-2 missile flipped shortly after liftoff and crashed into the ground at an air force base in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the redeployment of the Reagan strike group poses “a serious threat to the stability of the situation on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity.” The ministry said it strongly condemns U.S.-led efforts at the U.N. North Korea considers such U.S.-led drills near the peninsula as an invasion rehearsal and views training involving a U.S. The carrier was in the area last week as part of drills between South Korea and the United States and the allies’ other training involving Japan. North Korea is “moving accordingly with the timeline it set for itself,” Moon said. Kim last year described an extensive wish list of advanced nuclear weapons systems, including more powerful ICBMs, multiwarhead missiles, underwater-launched nuclear missiles and tactical nuclear arms. Moon Hong Sik, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson, said North Korea’s accelerating tests also reflect an urgency to meet Kim Jong Un’s arms development goals. ![]() South Korean officials the North may up the ante soon by testing an intercontinental ballistic missile or conducting its first nuclear test explosion since 2017 and seventh overall, escalating an old pattern of heightening tensions before trying to wrest outside concessions. The launches were North Korea’s sixth round of weapons tests in less than two weeks, adding to a record number of missile launches this year that has prompted condemnation from the United States and other countries. Yoon’s office said his National Security Director Kim Sung-han discussed the launch at an emergency security meeting where members discussed plans to prepare for further North Korean hostilities, including military provocations.
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