AA closes in on Myanmar arms factory

The Arakan Army (AA) and allied resistance forces are pressing hard against one of the junta’s most strategic military sites, the ordnance factory No. 16 in Padaung Township, western Bago Region.

Known locally as KaPaSa 16, the facility produces gunpowder for heavy explosives and ammunition. But operations have reportedly ground to a halt as resistance fighters tighten their grip. On Thursday, the AA and People’s Defense Forces (PDF) launched ground assaults on regime outposts surrounding the compound, seizing positions and weapons. Junta troops inside responded with heavy explosives, while reports suggest conscripted soldiers fled their posts.

Clashes continued into Friday morning, according to military defector Zin Yaw, who monitors the fighting. He noted that the resistance appears intent on destroying the factory rather than capturing it intact, arguing that its elimination would deal a significant blow to the junta’s supply chain.

The offensive follows months of gains by the AA. In December, the group seized the strategic Point 666 hilltop base guarding the factory, inflicting heavy losses on regime forces sent to retake it. Since launching a major campaign in November 2023, the AA has taken control of 14 of 17 townships in Rakhine State, plus Paletwa in Chin State, securing the border with Bangladesh.

The group has since expanded operations into Magwe, Bago and Ayeyarwady Regions, while closing in on the junta’s remaining strongholds in Sittwe and Kyaukphyu. This week, it reportedly captured a junta outpost defending the Nat Yay Kan Air Defence base in Magwe’s Ngape Township.

The battle for KaPaSa 16 marks a critical moment in the AA’s war. If the factory is destroyed, it would not only cripple the junta’s munitions production but also symbolise the growing reach of ethnic resistance forces deep into Myanmar’s heartland.

-2026-03-09