Junta reinforces with thousands of troops to defend Nat Yekan strategic hill

By Admin 01 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

1 October 2025, Ngape

The military junta has deployed thousands of troops in an attempt to defend Nat Yekan, the last remaining strategic hill under its control along the An-Padan road, according to battlefield sources.

Following the fall of Gote Kyi Village outpost to the Arakan Army (AA) on 28 September, junta forces began massing reinforcements and launching offensives from Padan on 29 September, a military source close to the AA said.

"It's unclear which battalions are involved, but the column advancing from Padan has been moving for three days now. The main objective appears to be reinforcing and defending Nat Yekan strategic hill," the source explained.

AA fighters seized Gote Kyi after a two-day assault beginning on 26 September. The outpost had served as a key defensive line for Nat Yekan, making its loss a serious strategic setback for the junta.

Currently, Nat Yekan is the only stronghold left for the junta along the An-Padan road, and AA forces have encircled it from multiple sides.

Military observers note that Nat Yekan is of critical importance for the junta. If it falls, AA control of the An-Padan road would be nearly complete, and the junta's Defence Industry Factories (KaPaSa) on the western side of the Arakan Yoma would be directly threatened.

"The junta cannot afford to lose this post. If it falls, their defensive line collapses, and the AA will gain significant leverage not only over the KaPaSa factories but also in the Magway theatre. That's why the regime is throwing massive reinforcements into Nat Yekan," said an Arakan military analyst.

Analysts add that for the AA, capturing Nat Yekan would mark a major strategic breakthrough and could intensify clashes across the Yoma range.

Since consolidating control over most of Arakan, the AA has expanded offensives into adjacent regions of Magway, Bago, and Ayeyarwady, fighting alongside local resistance forces to push back junta troops.