Airstrikes hit Sagaing’s Pale Township as junta pushes into former BNRA stronghold

Resistance forces clashed with Myanmar’s military in Sagaing Region’s Pale Township this week as junta troops advanced into an area where the Burma National Revolution Army (BNRA) previously operated. The military also carried out intense airstrikes in the area over the past two days.After Bo Nagar—a former revolutionary and commander of the Burma National Revolution Army (BNRA)—defected to the junta on February 18, the military airlifted hundreds of troops into Pale Town and began advancing across the area in late February. A column of nearly 300 junta soldiers was temporarily stationed in Chin Pyit village on the Pale–Yinmarbin border. As it moved out on February 27, resistance forces struck it with landmines, forcing the troops to retreat back into the village. Residents reported that, beginning March 1, the junta launched two consecutive days of airstrikes on western Pale Township using fighter jets and paramotors.Facing stiff resistance and limited control on the ground, the junta has increasingly relied on airstrikes and paramotors to project force and support operations in contested areas. Alongside fighter jets, paramotors conducted airstrikes for almost the entire day, with at least 16 strikes, and on March 2, at least four more airstrikes were reported.“The aerial attacks occurred at least 13 times, with both fighter jets and paramotors involved,” a resident of Pale Township said. “The jets conducted 11 airstrikes, and the three paramotors carried out about two strikes.” Residents told Myanmar Now that during last year’s battle for the Kant Daunt police station led by the People’s Liberation Army, the junta used its airforce defensively. Over the last year the junta has been routinely conducting airstrikes during clashes with resistance forces. Locals said that by the afternoon of March 3, ground clashes had ceased and the airstrikes had eased.Military sources told Myanmar Now that junta operations have intensified across Sagaing Region in the post-election period, including in Yinmarbin, Kawlin, and Kanbalu districts, as well as along the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River opposite Sagaing.Residents of Pale Township say the current junta column has adopted a more campaign-style approach, seeking to win over local communities rather than carrying out the house burnings and abuses seen in previous recent raids. The push comes after six senior Burma National Revolution Army leaders, including Bo Nagar, defected to the junta following a February 17 raid by National Unity Government-aligned forces on BNRA checkpoints.

Airstrikes hit Sagaing’s Pale Township as junta pushes into former BNRA stronghold

Fighter jets and paramotors carry out repeated airstrikes as resistance forces target a 300-strong military column in Sagaing Region

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