Heavy fighting continues in Sittwe Twsp

An armoured vehicle engulfed in flames after an attack by the Arakan Army on a military junta column departing Sittwe in February 2024. Photo: AA Info Desk

DMG Newsroom

5 September 2026, Sittwe

Clashes between the military junta and the Arakan Army in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, which resumed on September 4, continued to rage on September 5, according to a military source.

Although the fighting temporarily quieted down yesterday afternoon, it flared up again around 4:00 PM, with gunfire continuing to be heard until this morning, according to military sources and local residents.

“Heavy artillery and small arms fire went on all night and haven’t stopped at all this morning. Heavy artillery, small arms and drones were all used. Yesterday, a jet fighter dropped two bombs on Kuntaung Village, and an aircraft was spotted flying overhead around 9:00 AM this morning,” said a military source.

The escalation into active fighting followed air raids on September 3, when four fighter jets conducted bombing runs across Sittwe, Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships.

The battle for Sittwe involves heavy exchanges of artillery and drone strikes by both sides, alongside ground clashes with small arms fire.

Across Arakan State, the Arakan Army offensive to capture remaining junta-held towns has intensified once again, while the military junta relies primarily on air and naval power to launch counterattacks.

On the morning of September 3, junta warships shelled coastal areas in Gwa Township. Local residents reported continued naval shelling along the coastlines of Gwa and Thandwe townships on September 4, accompanied by military movements at sea.

Military analysts assess that the military junta’s naval strikes on Gwa and Thandwe townships represent advance preparations to deploy forces toward the Ayeyarwady front.

“The naval attacks launched from Gwa, Thandwe and Kyeintali are pre-emptive strikes aimed at allowing troops from Light Infantry Division 101, stationed around Thabaung and Shwe Thaung Yan towns, to deploy,” said Captain Zin Yaw, a military defector.

Yesterday in Kyaukphyu, military junta warships fired on civilian villages from the sea, forcing residents from approximately five villages to flee urgently, according to local sources.

In an effort to regain control over Arakan State, the military junta is attempting to break through from Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions as well as Chin State, relying heavily on naval and air support.

However, the military junta’s offensives in Arakan State have failed to make ground progress, leaving it struggling to prevent the fall of the remaining towns under its control, including Kyaukphyu and Sittwe.

Facing military setbacks, the military junta has increasingly resorted to targeting civilian towns and villages as a strategy.

“As the military junta has been unable to break through on fronts adjacent to Arakan State and is suffering heavy casualties, it has taken to indiscriminately targeting civilians. With the junta taking heavy losses, particularly on the Ayeyarwady and Sittwe fronts, the public must exercise extreme caution regarding air and naval threats,” a military source said.

With military tensions escalating across Arakan State and the military junta conducting continuous airstrikes, the Arakan Army issued a security advisory on September 4 urging the public to remain on high alert.