Myanmar military reclaims key border town after intensive air and ground offensive

After a prolonged six-month battle, rebel fighters abandoned Falam in April, citing a shortage of ammunition following more than 2,500 air strikes and an assault by roughly 1,000 troops. The town’s capture gave the military control of Chin State’s only airport and a key trade corridor to the Indian border, and within weeks three additional towns fell, with the army later claiming the whole northern sector. Experts link the shift to a large-scale conscription program that has added tens of thousands of soldiers, a relentless air campaign that has caused hundreds of civilian deaths, and Chinese mediation that has curtailed rebel arms supplies.

While the junta boasts these victories, opposition leaders stress the need for mobile warfare, civilian protection, and continued resistance. The conflict, now in its fifth year, has already caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced millions, with a looming humanitarian crisis.