Junta troops advance into western Pale Township in wake of Bo Nagar surrender

Junta forces have hastened their advance into resistance-held areas of Sagaing Region’s Pale Township following the surrender last week of Bo Nagar, leader of the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA), to Myanmar’s military, according to local sources. Two army columns of around 200 troops have pushed into the western part of the township since taking over Kyaung Than, a BNRA stronghold about six miles west of the junta-controlled town of Pale, the sources said. “Both columns are heading to the area west of Pale. One is headed west from the village of Sin Shin and the other, from In Gyin Su, is also moving in that direction,” a spokesperson for Pale Township’s anti-regime People’s Administrative Team told Myanmar Now. The columns are reportedly moving near the village of Min Taing Pin, where the military established a base last year after resistance forces captured the nearby village of Kant Daunt. At least 3,000 people from seven villages have fled their homes to escape the advancing junta columns, according to local sources. Bo Nagar surrendered to Myanmar’s military last Wednesday (February 18) as troops under the command of the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) moved to arrest him and some of his associates on charges of rape and murder. More than 150 BNRA fighters surrendered to the NUG-led forces, while Bo Nagar and his family escaped with the assistance of junta troops. Two days later, the junta announced that at least five senior members of the BNRA, including the group’s military operations and finance officers, had turned themselves over to the military. NUG-led forces also released a video on social media of the BNRA members in their custody, including two battalion commanders reportedly being held at a secure location. Military tensions have risen in Pale Township since Bo Nagar’s apparent defection to the military, which has sparked concerns that he could reveal sensitive resistance targets in the area. “People have been unable to harvest their crops, as resistance fighters have stepped up their alert levels amid fears of further advances,” a source close to the resistance said. The military also maintains a presence in the area, with a number of villages, including Min Taing Pin, Zee Phyu Kone, and Inn Ma Htee, under the control of pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militias.

Junta troops advance into western Pale Township in wake of Bo Nagar surrender

The former resistance leader’s apparent defection last week has raised security concerns for other anti-regime groups in the area

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