Hourlong battle breaks out in Khin-U, Sagaing Region

A clash erupted on Tuesday morning between junta and resistance forces in the town of Khin-U, Sagaing Region, leading to casualties on the junta side, according to locals and resistance sources. Khin-U residents said the exchange of fire, which began when a group of junta soldiers encountered resistance fighters while patrolling the south end of town, lasted nearly an hour. According to Tayote Gyi, commander of the Khin-U-based Htar Ne Wan resistance group that took part in the clash, one junta soldier was killed and an officer and two privates were injured. The military council had yet to issue a public statement about fighting in Khin-U as of Tuesday afternoon, and Myanmar Now was unable to verify the number of casualties independently. “It appears the enemy moved out from their position at the hospital to conduct a patrol. We were only trying to observe after hearing reports, with no intention to engage,” he explained. “However, they spotted us and opened fire, triggering the shootout.” He said that both the junta and resistance sides received reinforcements during the clash, which prolonged the confrontation. “The fighting on the south end of town was intense,” a woman living in Khin-U said. “The gunfire and explosions were deafening. From the noise, it sounded like they were using machine guns.” Units of the Pyu Saw Htee militias, which are armed and trained by the Myanmar military, are based in the villages of Pyin Htaung, which is west of Khin-U, and Ma Gyi Ton, which is just over two miles east of town. While junta troops are present in some of Khin-U’s urban wards, the resistance controls most rural areas apart from the Pyu Saw Htee villages. Junta forces are stationed at a private pharmacy, the police station, and the hospital in Khin-U, but resistance forces dominate in other parts of the town. Khin-U Township is a site of frequent ambushes and minor skirmishes, with resistance fighters often mounting surprise attacks on junta troops when they leave their bases and the troops retaliating against resistance members that enter the zones under their control. Junta ground troops have made a number of encroachments into villages in Khin-U Township since the 2021 coup, terrorizing civilians with arson attacks and prompting them to flee their homes. Raids forced thousands to flee their homes in November 2022 and August 2023. Data for Myanmar, which monitors the extent of destruction caused by regime forces’ arson attacks, has reported that junta forces burned over 4,800 homes in Khin-U Township between 2021 and 2024. Fighting in Sagaing Region, including Khin-U Township, has de-escalated since ethnic armed groups, including the Brotherhood Alliance, launched sweeping anti-junta offensives in northern Shan, Rakhine, and Kachin states. The latest outbreak of fighting was a rare break from the prevailing calm, and residents said that after the recent clash, conditions in the town have returned to normal. A map showing the location of Khin-U, between the Mu and Ayeyarwady rivers

Hourlong battle breaks out in Khin-U, Sagaing Region

Fighting broke out in the normally quiet town on the east bank of the Mu River

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