Fresh clashes have erupted between junta troops and the Arakan Army (AA) in Ngathaingchaung sub-township on the border of Rakhine State and Ayeyarwady Region after a month without fighting.

The AA has been attacking the junta’s Artillery Battalion 344 based in Myauk San Village in Ngathaingchaung since February. Clashes ceased around the end of June.

A local who lives near the Artillery Battalion 344 said the fighting renewed on Wednesday.

“AA troops are quite close to the artillery battalion. There haven’t been clashes for long. I could hear small arms. The fighting continued until the night,” he told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

Locals also reported clashes in two other locations—near Set Set Yo Village in Lemyethna Township, some 9.6 km from Artillery Battalion 344, and near Thayetpingyisu Village some 5 km from the artillery battalion.

“A few columns of AA troops came down from the Yoma Mountains. They are heading to Lemyethna, Eain Thabyu [around a 10-minute drive south of Lemyethna] and Artillery Battalion 344. I heard the AA troops have overrun junta positions in Set Set Yo,” said a source from Yekyi Township.

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify reports that Set Set Yo has fallen.

The AA seized several junta outposts guarding Artillery Battalion 344 in May and June, prompting the regime to move some artillery from Artillery Battalion 344 to Infantry Battalion 36 in Kyonepyaw.

Following a lull in the fighting, the regime brought in nearly 400 reinforcements over the past month.

“The regime has fortified the artillery battalion with bunkers and fox holes. The regime now has only one outpost guarding the artillery battalion now,” said another resident from Yekyi.

The regime has kept at least two warships on standby in the Pathein River near Ngathaingchaung and Lemyethna, said another female resident from Yekyi.

The AA now controls 14 of 17 townships in Rakhine State plus Paletwa Township in neighboring Chin State. Its military operations have penetrated through Magwe, Bago, and Ayeyarwaddy regions since early 2025.

The article appeared in   irrawaddy