Clashes intensify as Myanmar resistance forces push towards Mandalay

Intense clashes broke out in the southern part of Mandalay Region’s Madaya Township early Thursday morning as Myanmar’s military struggles to hold onto the area north of the country’s second-largest city. According to local sources, the fighting took place between the villages of Kyauk Ta Dar and Htan Pin Kone, which are located about 20 miles north of the city of Mandalay. “It has been incredibly noisy since this morning between Kyauk Ta Dar and Htan Pin Kone. There has been constant heavy artillery fire,” said a local woman, speaking to Myanmar Now on Thursday. The Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF) and allied groups claim they have captured more than two dozen junta positions in Madaya Township since launching an offensive there late last month. The MDY-PDF has not released any official statements regarding the current military situation in the area, and the group’s spokesperson was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. According to a woman who has been assisting villagers displaced by the fighting, civilian casualty figures are still unknown. “The number of people fleeing is growing. Just yesterday [Wednesday] there were nearly 200 new arrivals. At another camp, there are more than 1,000 people,” she said. She added that the military has been strengthening its defences closer to Mandalay as its troops continue to battle resistance forces to the north. “They have been reinforcing and preparing defences in villages in Madaya and Patheingyi townships at the entrance to Mandalay, and have deployed a large force and set up defensive positions at the pagoda in Taungbyone,” she said, referring to a village just outside of the city’s northern outskirts. A man from Taungbyone who spoke to Myanmar Now on Wednesday said that many residents have already started making preparations to evacuate the village. MDY-PDF troops seen after capturing the Setawgyi police station in Madaya Township in early July (MDY-PDF) “Taungbyone is close to Mandalay, so we didn’t hear much noise until recently. But now there is a constant rumble every day. At night, the sound of aircraft is deafening,” he said. “We’ve already sent our parents and elders to Mandalay. We’re just staying here to look after the house. We’ve packed our belongings, too.” Fighting has also continued north of Madaya in Mandalay Region’s Singu and Thabeikkyin townships. The MDY-PDF captured the town of Singu earlier this month, and continues to hold it despite weeks of relentless bombardment that have recently begun to subside. “We can say that Singu has become quite calm now,” said a member of a resistance reconnaissance team active in the area. On Thursday, resistance forces said they captured a Pyu Saw Htee militia camp in Ywar That, the last village in the township to fall to anti-regime forces. The leaders of the Pyu Saw Htee group occupying the camp managed to flee before they could be taken prisoner, according to the reconnaissance team member. The militia group has been accused of burning down a number of villages and murdering civilians in Singu Township and neighbouring Wetlet Township in Sagaing Region. In Thabeikkyin Township, north of Singu, intense fighting has been reported since Tuesday near Chaung Gyi, a large village on the Mandalay-Mogok highway. “The fighting started on July 23, so today marks the third day. The junta has been conducting airstrikes on areas bordering Chaung Gyi, such as Kyi Tauk Pauk and Kyun Taw,” said the reconnaissance team member. A joint force of anti-junta groups led by the Kachin Independence Army recently captured a junta outpost in Taung Lel, a village in the northeastern part of the township, sources there said.

Clashes intensify as Myanmar resistance forces push towards Mandalay

The military has been strengthening its defences north of the city as anti-junta groups continue to make significant advances

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