Projectile event in Nat Yay Kan Base area, Myanmar on Mon 31st August 2026

The strategic base, located on the Rakhine Yoma mountain range in Padan Township, Magway Division, is currently surrounded by AA forces.

A local military source told Narinjara that multiple artillery shells exploded directly inside the junta column, injuring numerous soldiers and forcing the military to evacuate them by vehicle.

"Junta columns are highly active around Pazhi village as they attempt to advance toward Nat Yay Kan," the source said.

"The AA targeted them with drones and artillery, scoring direct hits on the column. The wounded soldiers and bodies were transported back to Padan town. On the morning of August 31, military vehicles that had brought food supplies to the front lines were repurposed to carry the casualties away."

A source close to the AA confirmed that the ambush occurred on the evening of August 31.

"The AA doesn't have aircraft, but they possess heavy weapons and drones," the source explained. "They retaliate effectively whenever the junta opens fire. They deploy drones to scout for military movements along the Ann-Padan road connecting Rakhine and Magway. When movements are detected, they launch coordinated drone and heavy weapon strikes. This is exactly how they hit the column near Pazhi village."

In addition to drone strikes and heavy artillery, the military is reportedly suffering daily from repeated close-quarters sniper attacks.

"The junta troops are being targeted from multiple angles and are losing a significant amount of ground," the military source added. "Despite this, the military continues to heavily replenish its frontline forces. Many of these newly conscripted soldiers are dying, while others are deserting or falling ill with malaria."

The junta has spent years attempting to penetrate the Nat Yay Kan strategic hill using multiple columns, but has so far been unsuccessful.

"The junta still commands large numbers of troops," a local source noted. "However, the fighting primarily revolves around drones, snipers, and heavy weapons. Ground battles erupt whenever the military tries to advance. No matter how much manpower they deploy, they cannot break through to the Nat Yay Kan strategic hill. Both sides are currently trading heavy artillery and drone strikes, though a prolonged, full-scale ground battle has not yet materialized around Nat Yay Kan."

According to military sources, three trucks loaded with ammunition were sent to reinforce the junta bases at Nat Yay Kan on the morning of September 1.

Ground reports indicate that while fighting has persisted along the Rakhine-Magway border over the Nat Yay Kan base for years, the AA has not launched a decisive offensive to capture it, and junta forces have failed to advance past the villages of Pazhi and Gok Gyi.