Narinjara News, June 11, 2025

Military council troops are retreating with heavy casualties to their defense base, the 32nd Police Combat Battalion, amid intense fighting in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State, according to local military sources.

A local military source close to the Arakan Army (AA) reported, "They are using the army, navy, and air force to attack the AA around the police battalion. When the AA launched a counterattack, the junta forces suffered significant losses and fled into the police battalion. The fighting is now raging right up to the fence of the 32nd Police Battalion."

Kyaukphyu is strategically important for the military council due to the presence of major Chinese projects; as a result, they are directing all available military resources against the AA. However, the Myanmar military has struggled to withstand the AA's counterattacks, leading to a forced retreat, the source added.

Residents of Kyaukphyu reported that junta forces are defending the retreating 32nd Police Battalion with full force and providing air support.

"The military is using drones and aircraft in the battle. It's currently the rainy season in Rakhine. When the heavy rain subsides, air support becomes the primary force. However, when the winds pick up and the waves rise, the navy cannot provide effective firing support, but they are still engaging from naval ground weapons positions."

Military analysts predict that the 32nd Police Combat Battalion could soon fall into the hands of the AA.

"The military council is fiercely resisting and attacking the police battalion to prevent its downfall, but they are suffering heavy losses. Morale among the soldiers is low, with reports of surrendering and fleeing," one analyst noted.

On June 9, the junta's air force conducted airstrikes around the 32nd Police Battalion in the Gong Ching village tract, targeting areas occupied by the AA at Hnamphe Taung and Mindat Taung in the Malakyun areas, using two jet fighters, a Y-12, and naval gunfire.