Sittwe-Ponnagyun Frontline Enters Second Week as Junta Naval Bombardment Intensifies

Fighting along the Sittwe-Ponnagyun axis in Rakhine State entered its second week by September 15, 2026, with clashes continuing daily since the September 4 launch of the junta's 'Operation 4926.' Active fighting spans village tracts including Wahbo (Sittwe Township) and Aungzeya, Khamaungdaw and Kuntaung (Ponnagyun Township), with the junta deploying five operational columns in an unsuccessful bid to capture Ponnagyun Town. Junta naval vessels offshore fired hundreds of heavy artillery shells at Mosel Island (Rathedaung Township) and Hsandawshin Island (Werathani Township) in support of ground operations, which the Arakan Army continued to repel. Ponnagyun serves as the primary gateway to northern Arakan State and a central trade hub, and the fighting has displaced thousands of civilians from surrounding villages.