Reports of heavy shooting in Myitkyina circulate exclusively online amid Tatmadaw ground operations
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Phyo/Thant Zin (NP News) - Jan 20
The shooting in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, is as big as a battle online, while on the ground the Tatmadaw is clearing the area, according to information from the locals The Statesman contacted.
Currently, there has been some shooting near the Tatmadaw air base to the south of Myitkyina, but locals say this is just the Tatmadaw clearing the area.
On December 25, 2025, the KIA attacked the Myitkyina Air Force Base headquarters with a drone, and reports circulated on the internet that an aircraft was damaged, but in reality, the attack was not successful on the ground.
Similarly, on January 15, there was a reported clash near the Myitkyina Air Force Base, but locals said it was only gunfire and that they heard that the Tatmadaw had cleared the area.
“The reason they keep firing toward the Nampawng air base is because they are planning to move in from the Bhamo and Katha sides, so they are trying to prevent aircraft from taking off by repeatedly harassing this side. That’s all it is. The Western Air Command Headquarters can’t just fire randomly like that. On the other side, along the Ayeyarwady River, the Tatmadaw has strategic positions stationed in the villages. There are clashes almost every day. Most of the offensives are coming from the Tatmadaw side. After that, they can’t advance from this side. The Western Air Command Headquarters positions are continuous. Then there’s this side of the Ayeyarwady River bank. If those groups were able to secure this riverbank, they would be able to shell the region. They could fire rockets and drones into Myitkyina city. That’s why they are trying to advance, but they can’t,” he said.
He said that currently, the Tatmadaw is only clearing areas controlled by the KIA near Myitkyina and along the Shwebo-Myitkyina road.
“The Tatmadaw can’t afford to lose this area. At first, those guys attacked. Now, they have stopped. The Tatmadaw often attacks back. Now, internet posts are saying there’s a war. The Tatmadaw has just been retaliating. Nothing happened,” he added.
A resident of Myitkyina said that the situation in the city of Myitkyina is still the same as before, with traffic moving around as normal.
“In Myitkyina, things inside the city are calm and peaceful. The region itself is also calm. As for the air force, we only hear the sounds of firing coming from this side. We don’t know whether there is any return fire from the other side,” a Myitkyina resident told The Statesman Journal.