Myanmar troops reach Kyaukme town as clashes escalate

The Myanmar military regime has reportedly entered the town of Kyaukme in northern Shan State on Tuesday after advancing through Hko Mone, a village less than two miles south of the strategic town on Myanmar’s main trade route to China, according to local sources.Sources said junta troops were seen near a burned bus station compound around 2 pm on Tuesday, and some residents reported soldiers clearing parts of the town by midday, though it was unclear how they had entered. “There are several ways to enter Kyaukme from Hko Mone, so they could have come from any route,” a Kyaukme resident said. “They also entered through Ti Lin Ward.”Pro-junta Telegram channels also shared photos of troops posing at several locations inside Kyaukme—including the town’s welcome sign in Hko Mone—marking their advance toward the strategic trade hub.One source, an anti-junta fighter with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) told Myanmar Now that resistance fighters were hunkered down in the town Tuesday morning, but were forced to withdraw before junta troops fully moved in.“Some Kyaukme residents who fled their homes this morning said they heard gunfire at around 10:45 am” a man from Kyaukme Township told Myanmar Now. “This might be the sign that junta troops are starting to enter the town this morning.”Junta troops broke through resistance defenses in the village on Tuesday morning, sparking intense fighting between anti-junta and military forces, according to local sources. “Junta troops have already moved past Hko Mone village,” a Kyaukme resident told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. “We think they could enter Kyaukme today.”On Tuesday, fires also erupted in four residential wards in Kyaukme at around 1:00 pm, damaging a fire station, a police station, a forest department office and a highway express compound.“Government offices in wards 7, 8, 1, and 2 caught fire but most of the flames have been extinguished due to the heavy rain since yesterday,” a man from Kyaukme Township said. Video from Tuesday showed thick black smoke rising from burning buildings, with local media reporting the fires were caused by junta drone strikes. Pro-junta Telegram channels, however, blamed the TNLA for setting the blaze.“We didn’t set the fire,” a source close to the TNLA said. “It was caused by incendiary bombs dropped by the military regime.” Junta troops carried out drone attacks on Hko Mone on Monday, though no civilian casualties were reported. According to local sources, at least two men were killed after triggering landmines near the outskirts of Kyaukme.Kyaukme, a key town on Myanmar’s main trade route to China, has seen clashes since the 2021 coup, with control shifting between junta troops and the TNLA. The ethnic armed group seized most of the town in mid-2024, and fighting has continued as the military tries to retake it. The military launched a counteroffensive in southern Kyaukme township in early August, deploying two columns to retake territory from the TNLA. By late August, the regime claimed it had secured a section of the trade route near the Goteik viaduct between Nawnghkio and Kyaukme after capturing territory around the village of Nawng Ping, previously held by the Shan State Progress Party’s armed wing, the Shan State Army. In mid-July, the military junta recaptured Nawnghkio. In recent months, thousands have fled northern Shan State towns as the military intensifies its campaign to reclaim key positions across the state. A large blaze is seen raging inside the town of Kyuakme, Shan State on October 1, 2025, as clashes between junta and resistance forces escalate over control of the town.

Myanmar troops reach Kyaukme town as clashes escalate

Military columns broke through resistance defenses, moving inside the town of Kyaukme as drone strikes and fires hit government buildings and homes

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