Battle of Kyaukphyu

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Battle of Kyaukphyu
Part of Operation 1027 (Rakhine Theatre) in the Myanmar civil war
DateFebruary 20, 2025 – ongoing
Location
Kyaukphyu Township, Myanmar
Belligerents
Flag of Myanmar.svg State Administration Council/State Security and Peace Commission
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China(alleged) [1]
Infobox AA.png Arakan Army
Commanders and leaders
Shoulder Sleeve of Myanmar Army.svg Brigadier General Kyaw Myo Aung  †
Shoulder Sleeve of Myanmar Army.svgLieutenant Colonel Kyaw Lin Kyaing  (POW)
Units involved

Flag of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) of Myanmar.svg  Tatmadaw

Infobox AA.png Arakan Army
Casualties and losses
At least 21 killed, wounded, or captured. [2] [3]
  • unknown
At least 40,000 civilians displaced; [4] at least 15 killed or wounded. [5]

On 20 February 2025, the Arakan Army started an offensive to capture Kyaukphyu Township. Clashes first started near the Danyawaddy Naval base. [6]

Contents

Background

Kyaukphyu Township in Rakhine State is home to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone. A key asset of the SEZ is the Kyaukphyu Deep-Sea Port, which is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. [7]

After the 2024 Battle of Ann, the Myanmar junta only controlled Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and the island of Cheduba in Rakhine State. AA intends to capture all of Rakhine to "restore the sovereignty of the Arakan people." [8]

Battle

On 20 February 2025, the Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw began clashes near Danyawaddy naval base. [9] AA is also attacking the No. 32 Police Battalion headquarters. [10]

On 26 May 2025, Brigadier General Kyaw Myo Aung, a commander of the Tatmadaw's 11th Infantry Division, was killed by an AA sniper. [11] Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Lin Kyaing was also captured on 30 May 2025. [12]

The Myanmar junta announced a ceasefire from 1 June to 30 June. [13] Despite this, Tatmadaw forces reportedly bombed AA positions during the ceasefire period. [14] [15]

Chinese interference allegations

On 18 February 2025, the SAC junta passed a law to allow foreign companies to station armed private security on company property in Myanmar. As China possesses significant investment of the Kyaukphyu SEZ, Chinese private security companies composed of former PLA soldiers and Burmese nationals were stationed near its properties. [16] Since then, AA claimed that the Tatmadaw was being assisted by drone operators employed by Chinese security companies operating in Kyaukphyu. [17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ AA Kills Myanmar Junta General near Kyaukphyu. The Irrawaddy. May 30, 2025
  2. ↑ Army units surrender with full arsenal to AA in Kyaukphyu conflict. June 16, 2025. Narinjara News
  3. ↑ Junta troops in Kyaukphyu in disarray following death of brigadier general, capture of lieutenant colonel. June 1, 2025. Narinjara News. Khaing Lu Hla.
  4. ↑ Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu. The Irrawaddy. June 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Airstrike Injures Displaced Monk in Kyaukphyu Township. July 23, 2025. Development Media Group.
  6. ↑ Junta Increases Security In Kyaukphyu Town as Fighting Nears. June 13, 2025. Development Media Group.
  7. ↑ ကျောက်ဖြူရေနက်ဆိပ်ကမ်း - စစ်ကောင်စီရဲ့ နောက်ဆက်တွဲစာချုပ် တရုတ်လိုလားတဲ့ပုံစံ ပြန်ရောက်သွားမလား. BBC Burmese
  8. ↑ As Arakan Army gains ground in Myanmar, peace remains elusive. Ingyin Naing. Voice of America. January 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ Fighting near Chinese enclave in Myanmar’s Rakhine state uproots 20,000. March 4, 2025. Radio Free Asia.
  10. ↑ Kyaukphyu battle resumes in three locations after week-long standoff. July 10, 2025 Narinjara News.
  11. ↑ Death of 11th Infantry Division commander Brig. Gen Kyaw Myo Aung, fallen in Kyaukphyu battle, announced in obituary notice. May 29, 2025. Khaing Lu Hla. Narinjara News
  12. ↑ AA captures a lieutenant colonel and multiple soldiers during Kyaukphyu battle. May 31, 2025. Khaing Lu Hla. Narinjara News
  13. ↑ Myanmar junta says extends temporary ceasefire to June 30. Reuters. June 3, 2025.
  14. ↑ Junta forces bombard Kyaukphyu shortly after ceasefire declaration. June 3, 2025. Thinzar Nwe. Narinjara News
  15. ↑ Battle in Kyaukphyu escalates after ceasefire expires. July 2, 2025. Thinzar Nwe. Narinjara News
  16. ↑ Junta Passes Law Allowing Chinese Security Firms to Operate in Myanmar Maung Kavi. February 19, 2025. The Irrawaddy.
  17. ↑ China tells AA not to fight near Chinese projects in Kyaukphyu conflict while supplying drones, technical support to junta. Khaing Lu Hla. July 26, 2025. Narinjara News

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