In the final week of December, NUG-affiliated PDF forces and other revolutionary groups jointly attacked Katha town in Upper Sagaing Region. In recent days, they have also announced plans to launch an urban seizure operation against Wuntho town, located southwest of Katha.
At the same time, reports indicate that on December 7, PDF forces simultaneously attacked junta security checkpoints between Minhla, Sitkwin, and Letpadan along the Yangon–Pyay highway in western Bago Region, forcing the road to be closed for a period of time. According to those reports, the coordinated attacks targeted junta security posts near Sitkwin town between Minhla and Letpadan on the Yangon–Pyay road. On January 7 as well, some reports stated that local PDF forces also attacked junta-organized Pyu Saw Htee militia camps in Zigon Township and Nattalin Township in western Bago Region.
Western Bago Region has PDF units organized by township, operating from both the eastern side of the Yangon–Pyay highway along the foothills of the Bago Yoma, and the western side of the road. In this area, PDF activities have tended to focus more on ambushes, assassinations of administrators, and killings of junta supporters rather than on urban seizure battles or direct assaults on military bases. While assassination incidents have reportedly declined in some parts of Myanmar, in western Bago Region such incidents continue to be reported almost daily.
The kind of simultaneous attacks on junta security posts seen on January 7 had not been observed previously. The ability to carry out such coordinated operations raises questions about whether revolutionary armed groups in the area have begun coordinating joint operations and synchronized attacks.
Towns in western Bago Region lie close to the Yangon–Pyay highway and railway line, with the Bago Yoma to the east. Apart from areas along the foothills and within the Bago Yoma itself, the western side of the highway consists largely of flat terrain that is difficult to conceal in and unsuitable for establishing permanent bases. While the foothills and mountainous areas of the Bago Yoma offer geographical protection, they also have disadvantages, particularly the lack of large towns to support logistics, supplies, and manpower.
To the west, this region connects with northern Ayeyarwady Region, without direct links or proximity to ethnic armed organization territories. As a result, PDFs operating in this area face difficulties in adopting strategies beyond guerrilla warfare.
Due to the January 7 attack on security checkpoints near Sitkwin, traffic on the Yangon–Pyay highway was disrupted for several hours. It remains unclear whether there is a strategic objective to completely sever or blockade the highway. However, the western Bago Yoma road is not the main artery connecting Upper and Lower Myanmar. The Yangon–Naypyidaw–Mandalay expressway and the old Yangon–Bago–Taungoo–Naypyidaw–Mandalay route are the primary logistics and transportation corridors. The Yangon–Mandalay highway and railway on the eastern side of the Bago Yoma are the most strategically important north–south routes, linking Yangon—the economic hub of southern Myanmar—with Naypyidaw and Mandalay. These eastern routes are vital for transporting goods from Lower Myanmar to Naypyidaw, Mandalay, Chin State, Upper Sagaing Region, Monywa, Shan State, and Karenni (Kayah) areas, as well as for the rapid movement of troops and manpower.
Western routes such as the Pathein–Monywa road and the Yangon–Pyay–Magway–Yenangyaung–Chauk corridor are important for their respective regions, but they are not indispensable for overall administrative and military logistics.
In recent days, clashes have also been reported along the Pathein–Monywa road in the Sinphyukyun–Salin area. Salin PDF forces have launched an offensive aimed at capturing Sinphyukyun town, but have not yet succeeded.
Looking at Myanmar as a whole, the areas currently experiencing intense fighting include Minbu District (Gote Gyi and Natyekan areas), near Sittwe town, around Kyaukphyu, Yekyi in Ayeyarwady Region, some townships in western Bago Region as mentioned above, Katha in Sagaing Region, Bhamo in Kachin State, Falam Township in Chin State, and parts of Tanintharyi Region and Karen State.
While some of these battle zones are interconnected, most of the fighting is occurring independently. Clashes in Magway Region, Bago Region, Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and areas bordering Ayeyarwady and Rakhine States fall under a single overarching strategy of the Arakan Army (AA). However, it is difficult to determine whether fighting in other regions is being conducted under a unified strategic framework.
If the offensives, urban seizures, and territorial battles currently unfolding across the country were interconnected and conducted under a nationwide unified strategy, their effectiveness and coordination would be greatly enhanced, bringing the resistance closer to decisively defeating the military junta. Without such unity, while some areas may be liberated locally, questions remain about how long those gains can be sustained. A cycle of territory changing hands back and forth could persist, leaving a nationwide military victory still a distant prospect.