Local News

🟥Villages entering the military junta are asked to register and vote

The military junta, which is led by the 99th and 77th Battalions, is advancing into Mahlaing Township near Meiktila, Mandalay Region, according to local military sources.

Since the second week of July 2025, the military junta has been marching into Mahlaing Township, where the revolutionary forces are in control, with a force of about 1,000 soldiers, and is said to be stationed mainly in Aung Thar Village, on the border of Mahlaing Town and Wundwin Township.

The military junta is deploying its troops from Aung Thar Village to nearby areas controlled by the revolutionary forces, resulting in clashes with local revolutionary forces.

“A force of about 1,000 soldiers is stationed in Aung Thar village on the border. The army is spreading out and forming three separate lines. There are also clashes with local forces,”

said Comrade Pauk Sa of the No. 2 Battalion in Meiktila District to BBM. The military junta’s army is marching on Shwe Paw Kyun village, Let Swayt village, Nyaung Oke village, Pauk Khway Taw village and other nearby villages in Mahlaing Township. Some villagers from Let Swayt village were killed and some public houses were burned down due to indiscriminate firing with small arms and artillery shells.

In addition, the military junta’s army has been conducting raids on the villages they have entered, demanding that they register and register their households and vote in the elections. The comrade added,

“I think it’s mainly for the election.I heard from the people that when the military column entered, they called all the people in the village and asked them to register and show their household names, just like in a census, and then they told them to vote in the election.”

Because of the military junta’s column in Mahlaing Township, the revolutionary forces had to temporarily close some gates that were open for security reasons, and they are also conducting raids and raids on the column in the vicinity.

🟥Kyaukphyu and Sittwe townships have also been reinforced with hundreds of Rohingya conscripts

The military junta launched an offensive against AA outposts near the Danyawaddy Naval Headquarters in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State, on July 23, according to AA military sources.

The Arakan Army AA has captured and controlled the villages of U Kin, Saing Chan, Kyet Taw Pyin, Simaw and Kyat Tein along Thit Pote Taung Road near the Danyawaddy Naval Headquarters, and the outposts near those villages, and has been launching an offensive in recent days to regain control of the military junta, according to AA military sources in Kyaukphyu Township.

“The military junta is said to be marching along Thit Pote Taung road from the Danyawaddy Navy Headquarters, and fighting is ongoing on both sides. They are attacking to regain control of the areas captured by the AA,”

the military source added. A military source close to the AA in Kyaukphyu Township said that the military junta forces have been continuously attacking, relying mainly on artillery support from Danyawaddy Navy Headquarters, high-tech drones made in China, and airstrikes.

The military junta forces have been advancing along Thit Pote Taung road in Kyaukphyu Township, and clashes have broken out with the AA, with both sides losing ground, the source added.

“The fighting has been going on for about two days. The military junta has been firing from the air, including drones, and the navy. The fighting on the ground is also intense, so there are losses on both sides,”

the military source said. The military junta has expanded its presence in the Danyawaddy naval headquarters by expanding at least (10) outposts and adding more troops to prevent the AA from penetrating the Danyawaddy naval headquarters, more than 1 mile away from the navy.

On July 22, about (10) patrol vessels were seen operating along Thanzit River in Kyaukpyu town, and artillery shells were also being fired at some villages that had fled to escape the war.

The AA has been attacking the Kyaukpyu township from three fronts since February 20.

It is targeting outposts near Danyawaddy naval headquarters near Thit Pote Taung village, the 32nd Police Battalion on Doe Tan Mountain, and the outposts near the Natural Gas Receiving and Storage (OGT) facility near Malakyun village.

Kyaukphyu is home to the Danyawaddy Naval Headquarters, Battalion 34, Marine Corps Battalion 542, Marine Corps Battalion 543, Police Battalion No. 32, Taung Maw Gyi Naval Base, and Ohn Kyun Naval Branch, and is also being reinforced by the military junta’s civilian military personnel and hundreds of Rohingya soldiers conscripted from Kyaukphyu and Sittwe townships.

🟥 (5) dead bodies and (3) guns were seized

The revolutionary forces ambushed a 120-strong military junta convoy in Mahlaing Township, Mandalay Region, killing (10) military junta members and capturing (5) dead bodies and (3) guns, according to local revolutionary sources.

At around 4 pm on July 18, 2025, the revolutionary forces ambushed a 120-strong military junta convoy encamped in Aung Thar Village, Mahlaing Township, after receiving news that a 120-strong military junta convoy was marching towards Myin Thay Village.

The fighting lasted for 3 hours, and the military junta lost a total of (10) soldiers, including (2) sergeants, so they came and helped with a Mi-35 helicopter and withdrew.

“The fighting lasted for 3 hours, and it was reported that the military junta lost a total of (10) soldiers, including (2) sergeants. When they were injured, they came and shot at the soldiers with a Mi-35 helicopter and withdrew as usual,”

said Comrade Pauk Sa from the (2) Battalion of Meiktila District, who participated in the fighting, to BBM. In addition, after the fighting, the revolutionary forces continued to clear the area and seized (5) dead bodies of the military junta, (2) G-3 guns, (1) MA-2 gun, (3) G-3 ammunition boxes, (100) 5.56 rounds, and (100) G-3 rounds.

“After the battle, when we were clearing the area, we found five dead bodies, all of them badly burned. We also seized three guns and some other equipment,”

he added. The military junta is reportedly deploying troops under the 99th and 77th Divisions to areas where the revolutionary forces are strong in Mahlaing Township, near Meiktila District.

🟥3 civilians were killed, 3 were injured

In recent days, the military junta has been dividing the villages along the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway in Mahlaing Township, Meiktila District, Mandalay Region, and has been conducting ground troops, deploying troops, and opening fire with artillery shells, causing houses to be burned and innocent civilians to be injured, according to military sources on the ground.

At around 1:00 PM on July 22, a 180-strong military junta column that entered from mile stone 318 of the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway entered Aung Thar Village, Mahlaing Township, and engaged in a clash with local defense forces near Aung Thar Village.

After the fighting broke out, the military junta stationed at Si Gyi Swel Pagoda opened fire with artillery shells, which exploded in Letswayt village near Aung Thar village, killing three people and injuring three others.

“The fighting started from Aung Thar, and the revolutionary forces exchanged fire with the war dogs(the military junta soldiers). After the fighting broke out, the revolutionary forces retreated. Then they exchanged fire in Letswayt village, and the military fired artillery shells into the village. Three houses were set on fire. Six people were hit. Three people were killed and three were injured. The revolutionary comrades extinguished the houses that were set on fire by the artillery shells. Currently, the military is stationed in Letswayt village, destroying the houses of the villagers, killing chickens and pigs, taking rice bags and sesame bags, and the entire village is being evacuated,”

said a local villager. After the attack on the military junta’s police vehicle near mile stone 318 of the highway, the military junta lobbyists have been continuously agitating for the military to invade villages in Mahlaing Township.

🟥Aircraft also bombarded civilians, causing injuries

Kyauk Phyu residents say that the military junta navy, which has reinforced its military forces near the coast of Kyauk Phyu, is shelling some villages that have fled to escape the war with artillery shells.

Kyauk Phyu has Danyawaddy Naval Headquarters, Taung Maw Gyi Navy Base, and Ohn Kyun Naval Branch, and the military junta has deployed nearly 30 navies and patrol vessels to these navy bases.

Currently, about 10 combat patrol vessels are operating along the Thanzit River in Kyauk Phyu, and a local resident in Kyauk Phyu said that artillery shells are also being fired at some villages.

“Some navy ships and tug boats from Danyawaddy naval base are moving around Kyauk Phyu. The number of ships is about 10. I heard that some military junta navy ships are also in the vicinity of Malakyun village. Those navy ships are firing at the villages,”

said a Kyauk Phyu military source. The villages that the military junta navy is currently firing at are Zin Chaung, Sittaw, Thaing Chaung and Pyaing Say Kay in Kyauk Phyu Township, a Kyauk Phyu military source close to the AA said.

These villages are fleeing to safe places and other townships due to the AA’s offensive on Kyauk Phyu Township.

Similarly, a Kyauk Phyu local source said that the military junta is also continuously bombing villages inhabited by civilians in Kyauk Phyu Township from the air.

“The military junta is continuously bombing villages where civilians live in Kyauk Phyu. They are also bombing monasteries. They are bombing places where displaced people are taking shelter. They are doing this to prevent the AA from advancing further,”

the Kyauk Phyu military source continued. On the morning of July 22, the military junta’s jet fighter and two bombs were dropped on a monastery in Kyauk Pyauk in Kyauk Phyu Township, injuring a 93 years old monk and a student who was fleeing the war, and some of the school buildings were completely destroyed.

Similarly, on the evening of July 22, the military junta dropped five bombs on Kulaba village in Kyauk Phyu Township, injuring villager U Maung Than Shwe, 55.

The military junta’s jet fighter dropped 1 bomb on a field near Kulaba village, 1 on the main road, 1 near the clinic and 2 in the field next to the road, a total of 5 bombs were dropped.

In Kyauk Phyu Township, the fighting between the military junta and the Arakan Army (AA) is intense in 3 places, and the fighting has now lasted for more than 5 months.

Fighting is intense in Thabeik Kyin, Mandalay Region, and the revolutionary forces have surrendered the areas in villages of Lay Maing ,Ngar Maing and Chauk Maing and some other areas in Thabeik Kyin, according to local military sources.

Thabeik Kyin was attacked by the Mandalay PDF and the revolutionary alliance forces during Operation 1027, and by August 2024, they had taken control of most of the city.

It is reported that the military junta members were forced to retreat to Khunhnit Maing Village near Thabeik Kyin Township during the fighting by the revolutionary forces, and from there they reinforced their forces and attacked Thabeik Kyin town.

“Our teams have retreated to some areas in villages of Lay Maing ,Ngar Maing and Chauk Maing. The fighting is still intense, and the troops are trying our best,”

a local military source told BBM. Thabeik Kyin is strategically important as it is located on the same line as Mogok, Madaya, and Singu, which are controlled by the revolutionary forces, and is also a city that must be passed through when moving up the Irrawaddy River.

Although the military junta’s propaganda channels have been reporting with pictures that the military has regained Thabeik Kyin, the military junta has not yet made an official statement.

On the other hand, the military has been able to recapture Naung Cho and Moe Bye in July, and is also conducting offensive operations to control the areas around Hpakant.

Since the military leadership officially announced that it would hold elections by the end of 2025, the military junta has been increasingly using airstrikes, including drones, to regain the territories it has lost.

The military junta has restricted access to villages near the scene of the fighting

As the military junta forces have marched on Lemyethna Township, Ayeyarwaddy Region, the AA and allied forces have been intercepting them, and the fighting has been intense these days, according to a military source in Lemyethna Township.

The villages of Pan Taw Gyi, Magyi Kone, Kyauk Sayit Kone, and Magyi Pin Kwin in Lemyethna Township, located on the Pathein-Monywa road, have been occupied and controlled by the AA and allied forces, and the military junta has been marching to reclaim these areas, according to a military source in Lemyethna Township who is close to the revolutionary forces.

“The military junta troops from Ye Kyi and Nga Thaing Chaung are reinforcing their forces with vehicles. They are being dropped off at Yae Nant Thar checkpoint at Gwa-Nga Thaing Chaung, Pathein-Monywa junction. They are also being transported to the 344th Army. The main force of the military junta troops who have been reinforced at the Yae Nant Thar checkpoint is marching on the four sides. It is known that there are soldiers from Light Infantry Division 66,”

said a military source in Lemyethna Township. The current fighting between the military junta troops and the Arakan Army (AA) and the allied alliance Forces (PDF) is taking place in the middle of the Pathein-Monywa road in Lemyethna
Township. The military junta has also restricted the movement of villages from one village to another by sea between the villages of Lemyethna Township and Ye Kyi Township.

The military junta troops have blocked all routes for residents of villages such as Gway Tauk Kwin, Shauk Kone, and Thanpura Kone in Lemyethna Township to travel to other townships by navigation .

“The military junta has restricted travel between townships. They are controlling the water way and are conducting forced inspections. Now, people are not even daring to go,”

said a military source in Ayeyarwaddy Region. The military junta was formed to defend against the offensive of the Arakan Army (AA) and the Allied Alliance Forces (PDF) in Ayeyarwady Division.On July 16, the Southwestern Military District (SWDC) and the 26th Battalion of the Pathein Naval Headquarters loaded tanks and military equipment and that three warships are advancing up the Ngawon River to reinforce military forces in Lemyethna Township, according to BBM.

On July 19, the military junta also bombed the villages of Pan Taw Gyi, Kyauk Sarik Kone and Let Tan Nge in
Lemyethna Township, where the fighting is currently ongoing, using air and drone strikes. Some of the remaining villagers in the villages were injured and their homes were burned down.

The Arakan Army (AA) and the allied PDF forces are conducting military operations in Lemyethna, Ingapu, and Thabaung townships in Ayeyarwaddy Division, and are also conducting offensive operations to capture and control Artillery Battalion 344 located in Mrauk San Village, Nga Thaing Chaung Township.

The Mandalay PDF and local revolutionary forces jointly attacked and blocked a convoy of five warships that were sailing up the Ayeyarwaddy River from Gaw Wain Port in Mandalay, the People’s Defense Force(Mandalay) said in a statement.

The military junta said that since July 17, 2025, a convoy of five warships carrying weapons, ammunition and food, a total of 14 ships, were sailing up the Ayeyarwaddy River, when the Mandalay PDF and the revolutionary forces jointly attacked them in Madaya Township,Singu Township and Thabeik Kyin Township.

“The video file we released is a video file of the People’s Defense Force(Mandalay) and local defense forces jointly attacking a convoy of five warships that was the first to arrive from Gaw Wain Port in Mandalay along the Ayeyarwaddy River, and we blocked them along the Madaya, Singu, and Thabeik Kyin rivers,”

Mandalay PDF spokesman Ko Osmond told BBM. During the fighting ,the military junta completely sank one ship carrying weapons, ammunition, and food, and the revolutionary forces were able to burn two other ships, including the warship.

The three ships, which were severely damaged and burned, were surrounded by other ships and continued to take the three ships upstream, he added.

“The remaining ships, which were destroyed by fire during the attacks, were surrounded by two other ships and then took the three ships upstream .”

It was reported that four ships of the military junta were sunk during the attacks, but the initial death toll is not yet known, and that the Mandalay PDF and other allied revolutionary forces will continue to fight to overthrow the military dictatorship.

🟥They set up a gate in front of a nearby gas station and demand money from trucks and buses

A local resident told BBM that 3 military tanks and 3 military vehicles have been reinforced at the Taungzin police station in Nyaung U Township, Mandalay Region.

At around 11:00 am on July 21, 2025, 3 tanks and 3 military vehicles of the Military juntal have been reinforced at the Taungzin police station in Nyaung U Township, and the military council soldiers are demanding money from trucks and buses in front of a gas station about 1 faron north of the police station.

“This morning, they set up a gate about 1 faron north of the station and demanded money yesterday. They are demanding it again today,”

a local resident told BBM.  Currently, the military junta is causing trouble for the people in various ways across the country, such as asking for bribes at bus stations and randomly picking up porters.

🟥The military junta also threatened to shoot from behind if they flee the battlefield, according to the AA informant

Naing Win Soe, a civilian conscript who went to AA, said that the military junta had threatened to torture and kill militia members who went to the frontline battlefield if they went to AA, which controls 14 townships in Rakhine State.

Personal Identification Number: 142952 Naing Win Soe, a resident of Kaw Hmu Township, Yangon Region, was forcibly recruited for military service on January 2, 2025. 

Ko Naing Win Soe was sent to Ye Mon township to attend military training, and after two and a half months of training, he was sent to the front line of the reorganized 55th Division in Sittwe, Rakhine State. 

Upon arriving at the forward outpost of the High Island in Sittwe, the soldiers’ superiors threatened the soldiers with torture and death if they went to the AA, according to Naing Win Soe. 

“The superiors threatened that if you were arrested by the AA or if you went to the AA, you would be tortured in various ways, beaten with ropes, cut off your head, and starved,”

said Naing Win Soe, a soldier who went to the AA.  The military junta’s senior officers have been sharing photos and videos of the torture and death of those they have captured since military training.  

Soldier Naing Win Soe also said that they are using video files to spread propaganda and show it to trainees.

In addition, since the people of the People’s Army are threatened with shooting from behind if they flee the battlefield, they will not allow anyone to flee, said Soldier Naing Win Soe. 

“They are threatening to shoot from behind if they flee the battlefield. That’s why our friends don’t come here either. They are terrorizing us. They usually take away our phones. We don’t communicate with our parents. We don’t communicate with the outside world either. They keep us in the dark,”

said Soldier Naing Win Soe, who spoke to AA.  While serving in the forward outpost of the High Kyun forward outpost in Sittwe, the People’s Army soldier Naing Win Soe said that he was bullied in the army,  The AA announced on July 20 that it had joined the Arakan Army on July 10, 2025, after being pressured to destroy the homes and religious buildings of innocent people. 

Soldier Naing Win Soe, while on the frontline battlefield in Sittwe, said he entered Rakhine villages and, under orders and pressure from above, destroyed homes and monasteries in the villages without thinking, built bunkers, communication tunnels, and bomb shelters. 

The Arakan Army announced on July 15 that young people from all over Burma who were forcibly recruited by the military junta and subjected to various forms of torture can join the AA at any time and that they will be guaranteed the safety of their lives. 

Naing Win Soe, who joined the AA, said,

“When I joined the AA, they told me that the AA welcomed me differently. They treat us like brothers. They help us with food and clothes. If we are not healthy, the AA helps us with medicine. The AA is not like that because they say so.” 

The AA also said that the military junta is trying hard to recruit young people from all over the country to regain the camps they lost across Myanmar. 

The military junta is recruiting 5,000 trainees per batch, and it has reached 15th batch, and it is also learned that the militias who have completed the training are constantly being sent to the frontline.