Fighting intensifies along Sittwe-Ponnagyun border following Kyauktaw airstrike

By Admin 30 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

30 September 2026, Sittwe

Clashes between the military regime and the Arakan Army (AA) along the border between Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships have intensified following a brief lull in active fighting.

Military units stationed in Sittwe launched continuous heavy artillery shelling on the morning of September 30, with shells striking several villages across Ponnagyun Township.

Around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, artillery shells fired from Sittwe landed inside Tabethlwan Village, destroying five residential homes, according to local residents. No civilian casualties were reported, as most villagers had already fled the area.

"Artillery has been firing continuously all day from the Sittwe side into the village," a male resident of Ponnagyun Township said. "Villagers had already fled to safer locations."

Residents of villages along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border, including Tabethlwan Village, have been displaced since fighting first broke out in the area on September 4.

The renewed intensity of fighting along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border follows the military regime's deadly airstrike on Kyauktaw Town.

On September 28, the military regime dropped two bombs near a crowded market and the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Town, killing 50 people and injuring at least 58 others, according to the Arakan Army and local rescue officials.

The Arakan Army condemned the junta attack and vowed to take retaliatory measures against those responsible.

Fighting along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun border has been ongoing since September 4, when clashes broke out between junta forces and the Arakan Army after a month-long lull around Sittwe. The fighting has involved heavy artillery, drones, and ground fire, according to local residents and military sources.