Junta troops destroy two resistance bases in Sagaing’s Salingyi Township

Regime soldiers destroyed two camps operated by local resistance forces in southern Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township on Tuesday, a member of one of the targeted groups reported.

The bases, which were both located near Salingyi’s border with Yinmabin Township, belonged to two groups active in the area—the Myanmar Revolution Army (MRA) and the Thaman Kyar Guerrilla Force.

The first raid took place at around 11am, when junta troops arrived at the MRA base and opened fire for around five minutes, a spokesperson for the group told Myanmar Now.

When the group did not return fire, the soldiers entered the base and proceeded to set it on fire, he added.

“Our base was located on a hill and they were at the foot of the hill. Five of them came up at first. They entered the base, drank some water from our pots, and then torched everything,” he said.

A few hours later, the same junta column—by now expanded to around 80 troops—raided the nearby Thaman Kyar Guerrilla Force base.

One body, burnt beyond recognition, was found at the MRA base after the soldiers left, the group’s spokesperson said.

No resistance forces were captured during the raids, he added. He also speculated that some junta soldiers may have been injured, as both bases were booby-trapped.

According to the MRA spokesperson, the group lost more than 20m kyat ($9,500) worth of weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment in the raid on its camp.

He said the group now needed financial support to make more handmade mortars and other weapons.

“We can’t go back into the village, as they would torch and destroy the village if we did so. Therefore, we need to rebuild our base and buy more gunpowder. We are going to fight them with whatever we have in our hands, even if it’s just a needle,” he said.

Myanmar Now was unable to independently confirm the information it received regarding the destruction of the resistance bases.