Clashes continue in Bhamo Township, Kachin State, between the junta and a resistance coalition led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

In recent days, clashes have centered around the junta’s Artillery Battalion 366 in Bhamo Town and Bhamo Airport, while fighting also continues in several villages in Bhamo Township, the KIA reported in an August 24 announcement.

On the battlefield, the junta is using artillery, airstrikes, and large numbers of ground troops to launch fierce attacks against the KIA and its allied groups, according to the KIA.

In a previous video statement released on August 17, the KIA stated that the junta had been attacking areas around Bhamo Town daily using aircraft, drones, artillery, and small arms. It claimed the junta had conducted around 50 airstrikes, 32 drone strikes, and 417 artillery bombardments over the previous week.

The KIA also reported that it destroyed six junta drones in the second week of August.

The KIA previously captured the junta’s Artillery Battalion 366 but recently lost it amid the junta’s large-scale offensive. While reports have since claimed that the KIA recaptured the battalion base, the group has denied these claims.

The military standoff in Bhamo Township remains tense, while the KIA has not captured new territory, it continues to hold its positions and is determined not to relinquish control, KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu told MNJ.

The junta’s military operations in Bhamo Township intensified in August after a flotilla that left Mandalay City and traveled upstream along the Ayeyarwady River successfully reached Bhamo Town on July 17.

After its troops in Bhamo merged with reinforcements from the flotilla, the junta launched an offensive against the KIA-led coalition on the Bhamo battlefront, supported by drone strikes, artillery bombardments, and air raids, triggering intense clashes.

On December 4 last year, the KIA and Kachin People’s Defence Force (Kachin PDF) launched a joint offensive against junta positions in Bhamo Town. The nearly nine-month-long campaign, aimed at capturing Bhamo, the second-largest town in Kachin State continues with no end in sight.

On May 20, the KIA-led coalition successfully shot down two junta helicopters involved in logistics operations on the Bhamo battlefield.

The KIA-led coalition has captured the majority of Bhamo Town, though it does not yet have full control.