A resistance coalition led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has intercepted a military junta offensive in northern Shan State’s Momeik Township, preventing around 150 regime troops from advancing toward KIA-controlled Mabein Township.
The ground clashes erupted on August 10 and 11 when junta forces launched an advance into territory operated by Battalion 34 of the KIA’s Brigade 4, near Upper and Lower Nyaungni villages on the outskirts of Momeik.
In response to the resistance interception, the junta deployed Mi-35 attack helicopters and a Y-12 transport aircraft to launch heavy airstrikes.
"The junta used both attack helicopters and a Y-12 while ground fighting was underway," a local resistance source in Momeik reported. "The clashes began because the military column was attempting to push toward Mabein. Our forces intercepted them shortly after they deployed, prompting the regime to call in for air support immediately."
Sources close to the KIA confirmed that troops from the junta's Momeik-based Light Infantry Battalion 348 (LIB 348), including a captain, were pinned down during the counter-offensive, leaving at least one regime soldier dead.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that fighters from the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) also joined the resistance forces during the engagement near the Nyaungni villages.
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) originally captured Momeik in 2024 but returned the township seat to junta control following a 2025 ceasefire agreement. Nearby Mabein Township has remained under KIA control since January 2024. Since the regime reoccupied downtown Momeik in November 2025, KIA forces and their allies have maintained a siege around the town.
Junta forces are currently attempting to push along the Shweli (Ruili) River to recapture KIA-held territory and advance toward Mabein.
Concurrently, the regime has launched airstrikes targeting Mabein Township even as civilian communities face severe flooding caused by dam water releases upstream along the Shweli River in China.
