Heavy clashes erupt between junta and Arakan Army near Sittwe

By Admin 07 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

7 October 2026, Sittwe

Heavy clashes have erupted in recent days between military junta forces and the Arakan Army near Amyint Kyun Village in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, a city under junta control, according to ground sources.

The intense engagements involve ground infantry units supported by combat drones and artillery barrages, with fighting escalating significantly during nighttime hours.

“The Arakan Army is launching offensives against military posts near Amyint Kyun Village,” a local resident in Ponnagyun Township familiar with the ground situation said. “Fighting intensifies at night, accompanied by heavy airstrikes. Massive artillery fire can also be heard originating from the direction of the Shwe Min Gan Naval Base.”

Due to the intense combat surrounding Sittwe, military junta forces deployed jet fighters to launch airstrikes on villages including Kuntaung and Tabethlwan.

Simultaneous reciprocal offensives between both sides are also taking place near the Shwe Min Gan Naval Base.

During the third week of September, the military junta’s Operation 4926 offensive along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun Township border met fierce counteroffensives by the Arakan Army, forcing junta troops to retreat with heavy casualties and briefly slowing ground combat.

However, ground military sources confirm that renewed military offensives and Arakan Army counterattacks have escalated into fierce combat as of October 7.

“After sustaining heavy casualties, military ground operations briefly quieted down,” a military source on the ground said. “Now fighting has intensified again. Both sides are actively engaged in offensive and defensive maneuvers involving continuous light and heavy weapons fire alongside drone strikes.”

Intermittent clashes are also occurring near Wahbo and Kyarmathauk villages in Sittwe Township, as well as near the Regional Operations Command in Sittwe.

As fighting near Shwe Min Gan Naval Base edges closer to Sittwe, the military junta conducts daily airstrikes on villages and displacement camps across neighbouring Ponnagyun Township.

Residents and displaced civilians in Ponnagyun Township are currently remaining on high alert due to constant military air raid threats.

“We hear continuous explosions day and night, unable to distinguish between heavy artillery and aerial bombs,” a male local resident in Ponnagyun Township said. “The constant blasts keep us terrified and unable to sleep.”

During more than a month of intense fighting across Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships, several military personnel have surrendered with their weapons or been captured by the Arakan Army.

The Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar) noted in an analysis that because the Arakan front is vital to the military junta’s institutional prestige and strategic posture, combat dynamics there differ from other battlefields and carry an increased risk of severe military atrocities.