Border News Agency
Ann Township, October 31, 2026
Fierce clashes are continuing daily between the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar’s military junta around Nat Yay Kan Strategic Hill, located along the Arakan–Magway border, as the AA has reportedly surrounded and blockaded the military outpost.
The junta’s forces have continued launching offensives on the front lines, but have reportedly suffered heavy casualties.
“The military is desperately relying on air drops to deliver food supplies and ammunition to prevent Nat Yay Kan Strategic Hill from falling. On the ground, we have completely surrounded the position, making it extremely difficult for the military to advance. They are suffering heavy casualties,” a military source told Border News Agency.
The Arakan Army said it was responding effectively, using various tactics to counter the junta’s continued attempts to advance without reducing the intensity of its offensives.
On October 26, the AA reportedly attacked and destroyed military vessels on the Sittwe front. On the morning of October 30, the AA also reportedly shot down a military aircraft involved in delivering supplies to Nat Yay Kan Strategic Hill.
“Clashes have been intense almost every day on both the Sittwe front and around Nat Yay Kan. Because the military has suffered heavy casualties, it is relying primarily on air and naval support to continue fighting. The reported downing of a supply aircraft has put the military in an even more difficult position,” another military source told Border News Agency.
Local residents also said that people from nearby villages had been forced to flee their homes because the military continued to use air support around the strategic hill, heightening security risks in the area.
The Arakan Army said its fighters remained determined not to retreat and continued countering the junta’s offensives by employing flexible tactics and maintaining a balance between advancing and withdrawing as battlefield conditions changed.
