Forced to flee, Myanmar military sets out to destroy town north of Mandalay

The Myanmar military’s relentless shelling and airstrikes have reduced Singu, a town located some 60 miles north of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, to ruins in recent days, according to sources. Anti-junta groups began fighting for control of the town late last month, and by Monday had succeeded in forcing troops stationed there to flee to neighbouring Sagaing Region, a resident of the town told Myanmar Now. Since then, the town has come under constant artillery fire from regime forces based on the other side of the river in the town of Kyauk Myaung and village of Ma Khauk, both in Sagaing Region, the source said. “The past three days have been the most intense,” said a man displaced by the fighting, speaking on Wednesday. At least two civilians have been killed since the attacks began, he added. According to the man, most of the town is currently occupied by the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF) and its allies, with only a handful of junta soldiers remaining in some areas. “The PDF and allied forces have taken up positions all over the town. There are hardly any junta troops left there now,” he said, adding that residents weren’t able to leave until the PDF troops arrived on Monday. “As the battles grew closer to the town, the military blocked the exits just as we were leaving and told us to go back. We were only allowed to leave when PDF troops took over the town,” he said. Heavy fighting has also been reported south of Singu in Madaya Township, where three civilians, including a mother and her infant child, were hit and killed by an artillery shell on Tuesday, sources there reported. At least eight other civilians have been injured in the township since Monday, the sources added. On Sunday, the MDY-PDF and its allies captured a cement factory in the township occupied by junta forces. They are currently intensifying their efforts to take control of army positions farther south, near Mandalay. Meanwhile, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an MDY-PDF ally, has also been engaging in battles farther north in Mandalay Region, mainly in Mogok Township. In a statement, the TNLA accused the military of killing two people, including a child, and injuring five others in an artillery attack in the township on Tuesday. The group claims that regime airstrikes and artillery fire have killed 69 civilians and injured 111 since the start of the second wave of Operation 1027 late last month. Since its launch in October of last year, Operation 1027 has seen the capture of scores of military positions and dozens of towns by anti-regime resistance forces.

Forced to flee, Myanmar military sets out to destroy town north of Mandalay

Singu has been bombarded relentlessly since it was captured by resistance forces on Monday, according to residents

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