Myanmar junta launches counteroffensive after KIA, allies seize outpost near Shwegu

Myanmar’s military has been carrying out air and artillery attacks near the Kachin State town of Shwegu since losing a nearby army outpost to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces on Monday, according to the group and local residents. The counteroffensive began early Tuesday, hours after KIA and Kachin People’s Defence Force fighters overran the military position at Shwe Phone Myint, a village about four miles south of Shwegu, the KIA said. KIA spokesperson Col. Naw Bu said the outpost, which was manned by more than 30 soldiers, was captured on Monday evening after several days of fighting. “The troops retreated, and we have completed clearing the area. We heard the counteroffensive began at around 4am,” he said, speaking to Myanmar Now on Tuesday. “The exact situation on the ground is not yet clear.” Resistance sources said the military responded with ground assaults and overnight airstrikes in an apparent attempt to retake the position. A KIA source said two fighter jets that took off from Tada-U air base dropped four bombs on the area at about 1:20am on Tuesday. The military’s Infantry Battalion 56, based in Shwegu, also shelled the villages of Ngarbatgyi and Tawlang, about six miles east of the town. It was not immediately known whether the airstrikes or artillery fire caused civilian casualties. A resident said most people in villages near the fighting had already fled to safer areas in recent weeks. “Because it’s an active battle zone, we cannot approach closely, so we haven’t received precise updates yet,” the resident said. “But the firing was loud all night and throughout the morning, and we could hear the airstrikes as well.” Shwe Phone Myint sits along the highway linking Shwegu with the village of Hsinhkan and the district capital of Bhamo farther east. The military had fortified the outpost as part of its defensive network protecting Shwegu and the route toward Bhamo, according to the KIA. A KIA source said resistance forces captured the position after junta troops withdrew. “They fled in disarray, leaving everything behind. They only took what they could grab. Bodies were left behind as well,” the source said. The fighting comes as the military seeks to reinforce positions around Shwegu and preserve a supply route toward Bhamo, where fighting between the military and the KIA has continued for nearly two years. About 30 miles east of Shwegu, Hsinhkan and a nearby bridge serve as a key staging area for reinforcements heading to Bhamo. According to the KIA, repeated attacks by resistance forces during June and July halted military attempts to advance from Shwegu toward Hsinhkan. Naw Bu said heavy fighting remained underway near Shwegu on Tuesday, but added that further details about the current situation were not immediately available. The KIA advised residents to evacuate Shwegu on June 8 after the military reinforced the area and announced the closure of some access routes. Many residents have since fled, although some remain in the town. Fighting also continues elsewhere in Kachin State, including around Bhamo and the Indawgyi area. The KIA says that since launching a major offensive with allied resistance groups in March 2024, it has captured 14 towns across Kachin State, as well as Mabein in neighbouring Shan State.

Myanmar junta launches counteroffensive after KIA, allies seize outpost near Shwegu

Airstrikes and heavy artillery fire have been reported in the area since allied Kachin forces overran the outpost on Monday

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