Arakan Army Repels Junta Advances as Clashes Intensify Near Strategic Myanmar Port

Heavy clashes continue across Kyaukphyu Township in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State as the Arakan Army (AA) repelled renewed military junta advances, seizing weapons, ammunition, and enemy casualties during recent engagements, according to military sources. Intense fighting erupted on Sept. 9 and 10 when AA forces intercepted a junta column advancing from Awa Taung Village near the strategic Taung Maw Oo naval station. Facing significant casualties, regime forces deployed airstrikes and naval artillery cover while AA troops captured military equipment, weapons, and several bodies left behind by junta soldiers. Frequent skirmishes have continued around the naval base and surrounding villages, including Kyaungkho, Chaungphyar, and Minpyin. “Junta warships are firing continuously as the regime desperately pushes ground offensives,” a local source said. An earlier junta advance on Sept. 4 toward AA-controlled Sanae Town was also repelled, forcing regime troops to retreat after heavy losses. Military defectors and analysts note that the regime is exploiting the AA’s restraint around Kyaukphyu—home to major Chinese deep-sea port and pipeline investments—to launch aggressive attacks. “The only remaining ground footholds for the military regime in Arakan State are Sittwe and Kyaukphyu,” said Captain Zin Yaw, a military defector. “To leverage these strategic positions for future military or political gains, the regime will likely execute its most violent offensives here.” Despite persistent junta probes supported by naval and air assets since mid-2025, the Arakan Army has maintained a defensive posture around Kyaukphyu to avoid escalating conflict near key infrastructure, while repeatedly repelling regime advances. The ongoing violence has taken a severe toll on civilians. Indiscriminate aerial, drone, and naval bombardment has forced residents from numerous villages—including Zinchaung, Kyaukphyauk, Wamyaung, Ngaoak, and Kyaukkalay—to flee their homes repeatedly. Since fighting first broke out in Kyaukphyu on Feb. 20, 2024, more than 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been left in urgent need of humanitarian relief and basic supplies.