Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, November 2, 2026
Myanmar’s military junta launched heavy airstrikes using multiple fighter jets on the Kan Sawk mountain range in Kyauktaw Township, which is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), from after 11 p.m. on November 1 until around 1 a.m. on November 2.
According to Kyauktaw residents, the junta heavily bombed Infantry Battalion No. 539, located at the foot of the Kan Sawk mountain range beside the Sittwe–Yangon highway, and Artillery Battalion No. 377, located near Kanzauk Village in Kyauktaw Township.
“The military is dropping bombs on Battalion 539 and the artillery battalion. The entire Kanzauk mountain range is on fire. There are a whole group of aircraft, coming one after another to drop bombs,” a Kyauktaw resident told Border News Agency.
The two battalions were surrounded and attacked by the Arakan Army and surrendered with white flags in January 2024. The AA subsequently took control of the bases and stationed its troops there.
At around 5:25 p.m. on November 1, the junta also launched an airstrike near the Kanzauk mountain range in Kyauktaw Township. According to a statement issued by the Arakan Army, the bombs struck a bridge connecting Wa Taung and Pan Hla Chaung villages, killing seven people and injuring seven others.
The bridge was damaged, as were several motorcycles and motorcycle sidecars traveling across it, along with some houses near the bridge.
The junta has been carrying out heavy airstrikes across territories controlled by the Arakan Army, including Kyauktaw Township, while launching an offensive to retake Ponnagyun Township.
Military observers believe the junta is heavily targeting rear military bases, fortified positions and locations suspected of serving as logistical support centers for the Arakan Army.
“We have observed that the military is mainly targeting areas along the Kaladan River and beside the Sittwe–Yangon highway. We believe it is heavily attacking Kyauktaw because it considers the township a major rear defensive and logistical support area for the fighting in Ponnagyun. I have noticed that it is attacking all the former military base locations along the Kaladan River,” a military observer told Border News Agency.
In October, the junta also launched heavy airstrikes on former military bases in Kyauktaw Township on the eastern bank of the Kaladan River, including the former headquarters of Military Operations Command No. 9.
In addition, at around 5:27 p.m. on November 1, the junta launched an airstrike on a temporary medical clinic, a maternity ward and surrounding areas near Ngwe Taung Pauk in Thammarazit Ward, Mrauk-U, which is under Arakan Army control.
According to the Arakan Army, the attack killed five people, including a newborn baby, and injured nine others. Several medical staff members were also injured, while clinic buildings and residential houses were damaged.
Military and political observers say the junta’s intensified air campaign is part of a comprehensive military offensive against the Arakan Army, employing an annihilation strategy and attempting to encircle and attack AA-controlled areas from multiple directions. They warn that the fighting could intensify further.
“Many ethnic armed organizations can only fight what is known as a limited war, within the limits of their capabilities. But the military is trying to keep Rakhine under prolonged siege. In other words, it appears to be pursuing something like total war. It cannot achieve a breakthrough in the way it wants, but it continues to threaten the region.
“What I have noticed as these conflicts have dragged on for years is that, as often happens in prolonged wars, human security becomes the biggest problem,” said political observer Sai Htun Aung Lwin in an interview with Border News Agency.
Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by the Arakan Army, the junta carried out an airstrike on the town of Wirathani and Ywar Chaung Gyi Village, both under AA control, at around 3:58 a.m. on November 2. Five people were injured, and several houses were damaged.
The Arakan Army also reported that the junta launched an airstrike on Sane Min Pyin Village in Kyaukphyu Township, which is under AA control, at around 5 p.m. on November 1. The attack injured 11 people and damaged several houses.
The junta continues to carry out daily airstrikes on territories controlled by the Arakan Army, including Kyauktaw Township, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.
