Heavy Fighting in Kachin as Regime Pushes Toward Bhamo

Heavy fighting continues in Kachin State’s Shwegu Township as Myanmar military troops attempt to advance toward Bhamo, supported by airstrikes, Kachin Independence Army (KIA) spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy.

Junta troops remain concentrated around Shwegu and have not yet reached the Bhamo road, he said. “They are still operating near Shwegu. I assume they are trying to secure key positions to provide security for vessels that will send reinforcements and supplies by boat along the Irrawaddy River.”

Clashes are ongoing near the Shwegu-Bhamo junction and around a group of villages at the start of a mountain road to Bhamo. On Monday, regime Y-12 aircraft carried out around 20 bombing runs.

The regime has reinforced Shwegu since early May, deploying about 500 troops from Light Infantry Battalion 121 based in Ngar Ooe Village; these troops split into three columns to push north. Resistance sources estimate that around 100 junta soldiers have been killed or wounded in fighting along the route.

The People’s Defense Force (PDF) reported that regime Airborne Infantry Division commander Brigadier General Thura Wunna Lwin was injured in clashes on Sunday, and that his deputy was wounded soon after.

“They have started making moves to join Bhamo-based units. As the top commanders are injured, it appears that tactical commanders are leading the operation. As the road ahead is a forested route, it will be difficult for them to march quickly to Bhamo,” said a military analyst.

KIA and allied resistance forces have launched counteroffensives along the Ngar Ooe-Shwegu road, retaking several junta outposts. Shwegu town, which lies at a critical junction leading to the KIA stronghold of Mabein in Shan State, remains under regime control. The KIA has warned civilians to evacuate Shwegu, anticipating further clashes.

Bhamo, the second-largest town in Kachin after Myitkyina, has changed hands several times over the past year. Although ground battles have temporarily subsided recently, the junta continues to shell the town with artillery and conduct drone and aerial bombing.