Resistance forces have advanced into Katha, a key Sagaing town on the Irrawaddy River at the junction of Kachin and Shan states and Mandalay region, frontline sources told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.
Sources said resistance fighters have captured the town’s main entry checkpoint and its education college, where junta troops were deployed.
The advance involves coordinated action by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), units under the National Unity Government (NUG), Spring Revolution Alliance (SRA) forces, and Katha People’s Defense Forces (K-PDF).
KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu confirmed that resistance forces have seized several junta outposts and advanced into parts of the town. However, he said full control of junta battalions has not yet been achieved, with fighting continuing around their main bases.
Resistance fighters are now targeting Katha’s Infantry Battalion 309, under the Northwestern Command. Junta forces have responded with airstrikes and heavy shelling of the town and its outskirts.
Infantry Battalion 309 has been reinforced by junta-allied Pyu Saw Htee militias, Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) troops, and local firefighters, according to local sources.
Katha’s location makes it a critical military prize, with control of the town offering leverage over fighting in nearby Bhamo, Kachin State, and northern Shan State.
“Katha sits at the crossroads of Sagaing, Mandalay, northern Shan, and Kachin. Its falls would have major implications for the wider conflict, including in Bhamo,” a political analyst said.
The KIA has fought a months-long battle for control of Bhamo, the second largest town in Kachin State after the state capital, Myitkyina.
The analyst noted that losing control of Katha would deal a serious blow to the junta, which now relies heavily on the Irrawaddy River to resupply its troops in Sagaing and Kachin.
