Mandalay-based resistance forces capture eight Myanmar army camps in a week

Resistance forces have captured eight junta bases in Mandalay Region’s Madaya Township over the past week, the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF) said in a statement on Tuesday. The group, together with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), has been fighting in the area since June 25, when Operation 1027, an anti-regime offensive launched late last year, resumed following the collapse of a ceasefire reached in January. While the TNLA has been leading the offensive in Mandalay’s Mogok Township and Nawngkhio and Kyaukme townships in northern Shan State, the MDY-PDF is spearheading the fighting in eastern Madaya Township. Local resistance forces such as the Madaya Myo Hman group and the Security and Special Task Force have also been involved in the recent clashes in Madaya, according to the MDY-PDF. The captured military positions include the regime’s Air Defence Base 1014, a hill camp at a concrete factory near the village of Aung Tha Pye, and the Setaw, Pann Thalae Taung, Yay So Taung, Nay Kyaw Taung, Shwe Pu Htoe, Kyauk Kha Loat camps, MDY-PDF information officer Osmond told Myanmar Now. “Most of the captured camps are on the eastern side of the highway that runs through Madaya Township. They’re crucial for controlling the eastern part of the township. We haven’t seized all of them yet, but our forces are actively attacking the remaining camps,” he said. The camps now occupied by the resistance forces were strategically important for the regime because they were used to defend its positions in Mandalay, Madaya, and Patheingyi, said an officer of Madaya Myo Hman group. According to the MDY-PDF, 64 junta soldiers who surrendered along with 117 family members are all in good condition in resistance custody. The group added that it also captured 125 weapons of various kinds as well as ammunition. Myanmar Now has been unable to independently verify these numbers. The MDY-PDF has five battalions and operates under the command of Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government. It has been actively involved in Operation 1027 since it was launched by the Brotherhood Alliance of three ethnic armed groups, including the TNLA, on October 27 of last year. The junta has not disclosed any information regarding the fighting in Madaya Township.

Mandalay-based resistance forces capture eight Myanmar army camps in a week

At least 64 junta soldiers have surrendered to anti-regime forces since fighting in Mandalay’s Madaya Township began on June 25

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