About half of Banmauk Town in Sagaing Region, near the border with Kachin State, which had previously been under resistance control, has now been retaken by the junta and its ally, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), according to resistance sources.

Joint junta–SNA forces have also recaptured several villages surrounding Banmauk, forcing resistance forces to withdraw from roughly half of the town, frontline sources acknowledged.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), working together with the People’s Defence Force (PDF) under the resistance-led National Unity Government (NUG) and other allied groups, seized full control of Banmauk on September 20. Junta and SNA troops that had been stationed in the town withdrew at that time. However, fighting never fully subsided, with frequent clashes continuing around the town’s outskirts.

On January 18, junta–SNA joint forces made further advances, capturing several nearby villages and pushing resistance fighters out of parts of Banmauk where holding ground had become untenable.

“On January 18, they managed to take back about half of the town. After a week of operations, they gained momentum and captured two wards, Hwlasinkone and Mya Nandar. That’s how they ended up controlling half of Banmauk,” said a resistance source.

Following the loss of Banmauk in September, battalions from the junta’s Light Infantry Division 33 (LID 33), which had been operating in Homalin Township, launched a counteroffensive alongside local SNA forces in an effort to retake the town.

“There has been fighting on and off across Banmauk Township, and most of it has been very intense. After the town fell, the SNA pulled back and our forces chased them. Since then, the situation has stayed unstable. Now the SNA is attacking again together with the junta, and fighting has been raging in Banmauk,” the source added.

Military analysts said Banmauk’s strategic importance stems from its location bordering the resistance-controlled towns of Indaw, Maw Luu, and Pinlebu in Sagaing Region, as well as its proximity to Kachin State.

While fighting continues in Banmauk, clashes are escalating in Katha, another Sagaing Region town close to the Kachin State border, driving many residents from their homes. The KIA and PDF are stepping up their offensive in an effort to seize Katha, triggering fierce battles with junta forces trying to hold their positions.