Junta Escalates Airstrikes to Retake Rakhine-Magway Border Corridor from Arakan Army

Heavy clashes broke out August 2-6, 2026 along the Arakan mountain range — near the besieged Nat Yay Kan hilltop base, Goteseeyoe village, and Kamyinkan outpost — as junta forces backed by fighter jets, Y-12 aircraft, drones, and Artillery Battalion No. 905 pushed to recapture territory controlling a Chinese gas-pipeline route from the Arakan Army and its allies. A two-hour coordinated air campaign hit the area on August 2.