Intense clashes along Magway-Rakhine border as Myanmar junta fights to secure key base, highway

Fighting has intensified near a junta air defence base in Magway Region’s Ngape Township as Myanmar’s military builds up its forces in the area in a bid to secure a key stretch of highway along the border with Rakhine State, local resistance forces said. Clashes between the military and the Arakan Army (AA) have been escalating along the 64-mile Ann-Padan road since junta troops seized Goke Gyi, a village around two miles southeast of the Nat Yay Kan air defence base, early last week. The base is the junta’s last stronghold on the Magway-Rakhine border. “Fighting remains intense near Goke Gyi, where AA-led forces are surrounding the area and show no signs of withdrawing,” a resistance fighter from Ngape Township told Myanmar Now. “They are cutting off junta supply lines and attacking military positions. The military has not yet secured full control of the village,” he added. Goke Gyi came under the control of resistance forces following clashes that erupted in October. AA-led fighters came close to capturing the main defence base on Nat Yay Kan hill but were unable to control it completely. Last week, the junta dispatched over a thousand reinforcement troops to Ngape Township as it sought to regain control over the Ann-Padan road, the primary gateway linking Rakhine State and Magway Region. These reinforcements, reportedly consisting largely of fresh conscripts from Military Operations Command 17 in southern Shan State, have been funnelled into the area since early December. The deployment is also intended to bolster the Nat Yay Kan base, which continues to come under sustained pressure from the AA and allied forces. Pro-regime Telegram channels reported last Friday that junta troops took full control of Goke Gyi on December 15 after seizing positions held by AA fighters in the area. However, a source close to the AA claimed on Monday that resistance forces retook Goke Gyi later the same day. “Junta troops were in the village only briefly. After taking some photos, they ran back out again with their tails between their legs. Our resistance fighters have retaken the village,” the source said. “They were only there for about an hour, but heavy fighting is still ongoing around the village,” he added. The military also launched a series of airstrikes in the vicinity of Goke Gyi on Sunday as ground fighting intensified. By Monday morning, a surveillance aircraft was still observed monitoring the area, according to local sources. Fighting has also been reported near Pazi, a village about three miles northeast of the Nat Yay Kan base. The village, located on a vital supply route within 15 miles of the military’s Artillery Operations Command No. 905, was captured by resistance forces in October. “Junta troops are advancing along both the old and new roads near the Nat Yay Kan base. Large numbers of troops have moved toward Goke Gyi to seize the village,” a resistance fighter said. “There is also ongoing fighting on the old road leading toward Pazi,” he added. Ngape Township hosts several key military installations, including Artillery Operations Command No. 905, Artillery Battalions No. 375 and 409, and the Directorate of Defence Industries No. 14 armaments factory, also known as Ka Pa Sa-14. In September, the military attempted to secure the area, deploying around 1,500 troops and launching counteroffensives supported by heavy airstrikes to prevent the fall of the Nat Ye Kan base. Despite these efforts, the military has yet to reclaim any of its major outposts along the Rakhine-Magway border.

Intense clashes along Magway-Rakhine border as Myanmar junta fights to secure key base, highway

Despite airstrikes and a massive build-up of ground troops, the regime continues to struggle to retake positions near its Nat Yay Kan air defence base

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