Clashes have intensified in Bhamo Town, Bhamo Township, Kachin State, following the arrival of a junta flotilla carrying reinforcements, supplies and weapons.
The junta flotilla, which departed Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, located in central Myanmar, in two groups on July 17 and 22, arrived in Bhamo, the second-largest town in Kachin State, on August 1. Throughout its upstream journey along the Ayeyarwady River, the flotilla unloaded weapons, ammunition, and food at Tigyaing and Katha in Sagaing Region, as well as Shwegu in Kachin State, delivering supplies to junta troops stationed in those towns.
A resistance fighter said the junta’s use of drones in Bhamo Town has noticeably increased following the arrival of the flotilla.
“Since the flotilla arrived in Bhamo, it’s mainly focused on deploying reinforcements and ammunition for the junta troops stationed in the town. There haven’t been any ground offensives so far, but we’ve seen a clear increase in junta drone strikes targeting areas believed to be resistance hideouts,” he told KNG.
Clashes were already underway in Bhamo before the junta’s vessels arrived, but the fighting escalated significantly after they docked in the town.
“Skirmishes were happening almost every day in Bhamo before the warships arrived. But since they got here, we’ve noticed the fighting has become more intense. Villages along the riverbank opposite Bhamo Town should be especially alert,” a resistance frontline source said.
Aiming to capture Bhamo, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied resistance forces launched an offensive on the town on December 4, 2024.
There are also reports that many of the troops brought in as reinforcements on the junta flotilla are young men who were forcibly conscripted.
In August 2024, another junta flotilla successfully resupplied the towns of Takaung, Tigyaing, Katha, Shwegu, and Bhamo during its upstream journey along the Ayeyarwady River.
Junta flotillas have faced heavy ambushes by resistance forces on each upstream journey along the Ayeyarwady River. The most recent flotilla also suffered vessel losses, with a tugboat confirmed sunk in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, and another small ship destroyed in Shwegu Township, Kachin State.
On the other hand, to clear the flotilla’s route and protect it, the junta launched airstrikes and artillery shelling on villages and settlements along the river, resulting in the deaths of 30 civilians during the journey.
The highest death toll was in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, with 21 fatalities, followed by 7 in Shwegu Township, 2 in Katha Township, and 1 in Bhamo Township. The victims ranged in age from 9 to 70.
