Regime Flotilla Decimated at Resistance-Held Chokepoint in Kachin

Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces have destroyed five vessels of a Myanmar military flotilla at an Irrawaddy River chokepoint near Shwegu, southern Kachin State, according to frontline resistance sources.

The military supply flotilla was heading upstream to Bhamo from Shwegu when it was intercepted on Wednesday.

“Three of the ships sank at the second bottleneck near Zinbon village,” a resistance source told the Irrawaddy. “A tugboat also went up in flames and another vessel flipped near Sin Khan bridge.”

ntense fighting erupted as regime troops abandoned their burning vessels, with many including surrendering to resistance forces onshore, the source said.

Videos provided by KIA sources show resistance forces transporting dozens of surrendered regime soldiers along with women and children from the clash site.

KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu confirmed that a regime flotilla carrying supplies and reinforcements was engaged at Zinbon after leaving Shwegu at 6 am.

He said boats had been destroyed as fighting escalates amid a barrage of regime airstrikes, but detailed information from the ground was not yet available.

The regime reacted to the attack by deploying eight fighter jets, two Y-12 aircraft, and surveillance drones, according to the frontline source.

The flotilla of 15 vessels left Mandalay on August 21, carrying rations and reinforcements to Bhamo, where military bases have been encircled by Kachin resistance forces for over a year. The regime has used indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes along the riverbank to clear its path amid frequent attacks by resistance forces.

On Sunday, the flotilla’s first attempt to pass Zinbon failed when it lost a tugboat and a strategic military base to KIA and allied forces.