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Arakan Army in Myanmar is Recruiting and Training

Steve Sandford

   On the edge of a mountainside in Northern Myanmar's Kachin state,
   several hundred young army recruits kick up the dust as they jog down a
   trail during early morning military drills.

   New recruits are joining groups such as the Arakan Army which has set
   up training camps in Kachin state, home to fellow Northern Alliance
   member, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

   The Arakan Army (AA) formed in 2009 and is currently fighting in
   Rakhine State against government forces in ongoing skirmishes that have
   escalated in recent months, amid faltering cease-fire talks.

   The AA is the armed wing of the United League of Arakan, headquartered
   in Laiza. Laiza is the capital of KIA - controlled Kachin State,
   bordering China.

   The Arakan Army say that they have a current force of 7,000 troops.

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