Fighting intensifies in southern Kachin State as Myanmar junta attempts to retake Momauk

Fierce battles have been reported in southern Kachin State, where Myanmar’s military is intensifying its bid to recapture Momauk, a town seized last month by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied resistance forces. On August 19, the KIA-led forces captured the regime’s last remaining army camp in Momauk after a month-long offensive. Five days later, junta troops based in Bhamo, about 10 miles to the west, began a counterattack using armoured vehicles.Despite recent reports from pro-junta Telegram channels that Momauk has been recaptured by the junta, the town is still in KIA hands, according to the group’s spokesperson, Col. Naw Bu. “They haven’t taken Momauk yet; they’re still far away. The military columns advancing from Bhamo have reached about six miles from Momauk and have stopped there,” he said, speaking to Myanmar Now on Monday. “They’re relying on airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone attacks, but they can’t advance further. Our allied forces are still engaged in defensive battles,” he added. On Sunday, a flotilla of five junta military vessels departed from the Gaw Wein Jetty in Mandalay, heading towards Kachin State along the Ayeyarwady River. These vessels were reportedly carrying troops, weapons, ammunition, and supplies. The vessels, escorted by attack helicopters, have fired heavy weapons at villages along the river, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens of others, according to sources in Tigyaing and Katha townships in Sagaing Region. The flotilla includes two warships, two supply ships, and a tugboat, the sources said. Local resistance forces speculate that these ships might be heading to Bhamo to reinforce troops there. “Considering the ongoing battles in Bhamo, we can assume that’s where they’re going,” said a resistance fighter based in Katha, where the flotilla docked on Monday. Meanwhile, junta forces have also been pushing south from Bhamo towards the resistance-held town of Mansi. So far, however, they have been unable to advance beyond Kawng Jar Yang, a village about five miles south of Bhamo, sources there said. Most residents of Momauk and Mansi have been displaced since May. As the fighting approaches Bhamo, many of the displaced and some Bhamo residents have fled to nearby KIA-controlled areas or to large cities such as Myitkyina and Mandalay. There has been limited phone and internet access in southern Kachin State since late July, making it difficult to contact civilians living in areas affected by the conflict. However, a local woman who has fled to Sagaing Region told Myanmar Now that relatives still living in Bhamo are facing growing pressure. “They say the gunfire is getting very close. At night, they can't sleep because of the sound of artillery fire. I can’t go help them. My younger brother and the rest of the family are staying together in one house,” she said. Since the start of the current offensive, KIA-led forces have overrun scores of military outposts. In addition to Momauk and Mansi, they have also captured the towns of Sumprabum, Injangyang, Sadung, Sinbo, Myo Hla, and Lwegel in Kachin State and Mabein and Nam Hpat Kar in northern Shan State’s Kutkai Township.

Fighting intensifies in southern Kachin State as Myanmar junta attempts to retake Momauk

The KIA denies reports by pro-regime sources claiming that the junta has recaptured the town

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