On 15 March 2025 Myanmar Junta launched a military operation to recapture some rural areas in Katha Township during the Myanmar civil war. State Administration Council troops from LID 309 departure from Katha Town assaulting resistance positions in rural areas of the township, suffering a devastating defeat against fighters from Katha PDF.
Katha Town is considered a strategic location. It is on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River and borders Kachin State. It has a population of about 160,000 according to the 2014 census. Light Infantry Battalion 309 is the only junta base in Katha town, but the regime has reinforced it with more troops since the coup. Still more reinforcements were airlifted to the battalion over the past few months, according to the Katha PDF. [1]
Battle
On 15 March heavy fighting erupted just outside the junta-held Katha Town in Sagaing Region when junta troops based in the town came into an area outside the town where resistance forces were based.[2][bettersourceneeded][3]
The fighting started on the morning of 15 March 2025 when about 150[4] – 200[1] junta soldiers from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 309 in Katha Town advanced into areas of Katha Township where resistance forces were deployed.[4]
The fight happened near the Natyaetwin-Pinmalut intersection just outside the town, particularly in Pantaunggyi village[5][bettersourceneeded], about 6.5 km from the LIB 309 base. At its height, the junta was firing artillery from the LIB 309 base into the combat zone.[4]
Katha PDF members said that the fighting was quite fierce, but that they managed to capture injured soldiers as well as their weapons.[1]
The fighting, which was the heaviest seen so far in the vicinity of Katha Town, lasted until about 2:00pm on 16 March when the junta soldiers retreated to the LIB 309 base in the town.[4]
Aftermath
Two resistance fighters were killed during the fighting and afterwards and around 40 junta soldiers and two resistance fighters died in the fighting, according to resistance forces. The resistance forces also took 29 junta soldiers as prisoners of war. [1]
A frontline resistance source said usually the junta column only patrolled the town area, but this time they unexpectedly entered the resistance-held zone with massive forces, sparking a fierce battle. [4]
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State Administration Council 
