Junta launches offensive with five columns along Sittwe-Ponnagyun border

By Admin 12 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

12 September 2026, Sittwe

The military junta has launched a major offensive with five military columns comprising around 1,000 troops along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border, where heavy fighting is ongoing, according to military sources.

Junta troops deployed in five separate columns on September 4, targeting positions near Minchaung Bridge, Wahbo, Minhla and Myitnar villages in Sittwe Township, as well as Kuntaung, Yeyoepyin, Khamaungdaw, Aungzeya and Aungmyaygon villages in Ponnagyun Township.

Each military column consists of approximately 170 to 200 troops, military sources said.

Clashes between the military junta and the Arakan Army continued along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border on the morning of September 12.

“Both sides are exchanging heavy artillery and small arms fire. The military junta is also conducting airstrikes around the active combat zones,” a military source said.

Between September 4 and September 10, hundreds of junta soldiers, including column commanders, were killed or wounded in clashes along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border.

Military sources said junta forces have deployed heavy firepower, including heavy artillery, small arms, combat drones, naval artillery and airstrikes during the operations.

The military junta launched the offensive on September 4 under the designation “Operation 4926.” After more than a week of intense fighting, several junta columns have suffered heavy casualties and been forced to retreat following counter-offensives by the Arakan Army.

“The military junta is mounting large-scale offensives against territories controlled by the Arakan Army, but these operations are failing to achieve their objectives. Fighting is set to intensify further rather than diminish,” said political analyst U Aung Marm Oo.

Military analysts said the junta is attempting to cross Minchaung Bridge in Sittwe Township to establish a foothold in Ponnagyun Township, an area controlled by the Arakan Army, in an effort to recapture lost territory.

Meanwhile, Arakan Army chief Major-General Twan Mrat Naing previously declared that revolutionary forces intend to liberate all remaining towns in Arakan State before 2027.