Despite the junta's announcement that it has regained complete control of Khampat Town in Sagaing Region, located along the India-Myanmar border trade route linking Kale and Tamu, fierce fighting is still ongoing in parts of the town, according to resistance frontline sources in the area.
Junta troops have stormed and occupied Wards 2, 3, and 4 with large numbers of forces. However, clashes continue in Ward 1, which remains the main stronghold of resistance forces, particularly around the police station, the former junta military camp, and the Immigration Department office.
A military analyst from Tamu Town in Sagaing Region said junta fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Ward 1 at around 1:00 p.m. on June 22. The ward had also been subjected to heavy aerial bombardment the previous day, June 21.
“We heard that junta troops managed to enter Ward 1 sometime on the evening of June 21, but the fighting is still flaring up. Around 1:00 p.m. on June 22, two fighter jets carried out another bombing raid on the town. The regime also heavily bombed Ward 1 the day before. We still don't know the full extent of the damage to homes. As of now, the junta has not captured the entire town. If it releases a group photo of its troops in front of Khampat Public Hospital, then we can say the whole town has fallen,” he said.
The propaganda photographs released by the junta claiming it recaptured Khampat were reportedly taken in front of government offices located in Ward 4.
Ward 1 is situated on the edge of town along the route leading toward Tamu. Resistance forces are said to still control the ward and surrounding areas.
“The junta controls Wards 2, 3, and 4 in Khampat, but Ward 1 and some nearby areas remain under resistance control, and the regime has not been able to seize them yet. Gunfire and clashes are still ongoing,” said a local monitoring the military situation in the town.
Although some houses in Ward 1 have reportedly been destroyed by the junta’s airstrikes and arson attacks, the full extent of the destruction remains unclear.
Since early June, the junta has launched a major offensive to regain control of the more than 80-mile Kale-Tamu Road. It deployed thousands of troops in a multi-front operation, sending separate columns from Kale, Tamu, and Mawlaik. The offensive has triggered nearly two weeks of clashes with resistance forces.
The operation reportedly involves around 3,000 personnel, including an India-based Kathe armed group, the junta-allied Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), and Pyusawhti militia members.
According to Captain Zin Yaw, a former junta officer who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), the junta has likely regained control of approximately 90 percent of Khampat Town.
“It's reasonable to say the junta now controls about 90 percent of the town; however, skirmishes are still ongoing. Local sources say around 3,000 troops were deployed for the offensive, and those forces now have enough space inside the town to establish defensive positions. In conventional warfare, overcoming a defensive force of 3,000 would require at least 9,000 attacking troops. In practical terms, the junta has now secured control of both Khampat and the Khampat–Tamu route. The balance has shifted, and resistance forces would now need to launch an offensive if they want to retake the town,” Captain Zin Yaw said.
The junta has also reportedly regained control of the Kale-Tamu road corridor and could soon repair damaged roads and bridges to facilitate reinforcements and logistics operations. The junta is expected to further strengthen its hold on the area by deploying large numbers of SNA troops, Pyusawhti militia members, and other allied ethnic armed groups.
Khampat, a strategically important town on the India-Myanmar border trade route, was captured by forces aligned with the resistance-led National Unity Government (NUG) and allied revolutionary groups on November 7, 2023.
Last month, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing visited India. Shortly after his trip, the junta began the major military offensive to reassert control over the region.
Fighting in the Kale–Tamu area has displaced residents from approximately 50 villages along the Kale–Tamu Road, as well as from Tamu Town. Local sources said those displaced urgently require medicine, shelter, and basic food assistance.
