Myanmar military intensifies pressure on resistance strongholds southwest of Mandalay

Myanmar’s military junta has launched large-scale offensives across areas southwest of Mandalay, putting heavy pressure on resistance forces and displacing tens of thousands of civilians as it intensifies its efforts to retake territory held by regime opponents. Heavy ground assaults and intensified airstrikes in recent days have targeted villages in Ngazun, Myingyan and Taungtha townships, areas regarded as resistance strongholds. A leader of a resistance group aligned with the National Unity Government (NUG) said resistance forces had been unable to maintain territorial control under sustained military pressure. “Resistance forces in Myingyan, Ngazun and Taungtha can no longer hold territory as they once did, and many groups have already withdrawn toward Magway,” the leader told Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. He attributed the retreat to the military’s increasing use of drones, artillery, and air power. “Airstrikes have been ongoing without interruption,” he said. “They are deploying all available aircraft and intensifying attacks with drones, suicide drones, and heavy weapons.” The fighting marks a significant escalation in the junta’s campaign to reassert control over southwestern Mandalay Region, following its recapture of several strategically important towns along the Ayeyarwady River north of Mandalay, including Madaya, Singu, Thabeikkyin, and Tagaung, since late last year. Those territories had previously been seized during Operation 1027, a major offensive launched by anti-junta alliances in late 2023. A host of anti-regime forces, including nine NUG-affiliated People’s Defence Force (PDF) battalions, remain active in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan District, southwest of Myanmar’s second-largest city. Pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militias also maintain a strong presence in the area. Hpet Pin Aing, a village in Myingyan Township, seen on April 3 after a raid by junta forces (Photo: Supplied) Civilian, resistance casualties The renewed offensives have triggered a humanitarian crisis in the region. Tens of thousands of residents in Ngazun, Myingyan and Taungtha townships have fled their homes amid artillery shelling and airstrikes, according to local sources. Civilian casualties have also mounted. On May 7, junta forces conducting raids on two villages in Ngazun Township allegedly used drones to attack fleeing villagers. Three members of one family were killed in the village of Taung Lel Taw, while four residents of Min Gyo, a nearby village, were seriously injured, local sources said. In neighbouring Sagaing Region, the regime carried out air and drone strikes on Sa Khan Thar, a village in Wetlet Township, on May 5 and 6, killing three civilians and injuring three others, including a child. Resistance forces have also suffered losses. On May 4, an ambush on a vehicle carrying members of the PDF and allied groups in Taungtha Township killed 11 fighters, including a squad leader. Neither the NUG nor local battalions in Myingyan District have issued official statements regarding the recent territorial losses. Junta shifting focus Analysts and resistance leaders say the military is capitalising on reduced conflict in northern Shan State—the focus of fighting during Operation 1027—since last year to redirect troops and resources toward Myanmar’s central Dry Zone, long regarded as a stronghold of the anti-junta movement. “With fighting subsiding on one front, the military is now directing its full force toward areas central to the Spring Revolution’s support base,” another resistance leader based in the region said. The source said the slowdown in fighting in northern Shan State had disrupted weapons and ammunition supply routes to central Myanmar. Despite this, however, resistance groups remain committed to continuing the fight, he added. But he also expressed criticism of the NUG’s leadership, citing difficulties in securing weapons, weak coordination with ethnic armed groups, and what he described as politically motivated appointments within the resistance movement. “It won’t be long; under their leadership, there is a risk that the entire Mandalay Region could soon be lost,” he said. Meanwhile, the junta has also expanded operations farther north, targeting Katha, Kawlin, and Kanbalu townships in upper Sagaing Region—a strategic corridor leading toward Kachin State. The military has increasingly relied on waterways and highways to support its operations. State-controlled newspapers recently reported that the Mandalay-Myitkyina highway had been reopened after junta forces regained control of towns along the route, including Madaya, Thabeikkyin, Tagaung, Tigyaing, Katha, Indaw and Maw Lu. Pro-junta social media pages on Sunday urged cargo trucks to remain on main roads, warning that clearance operations were continuing in surrounding areas. If the junta consolidates control over Mandalay Region, analysts say it could restore broader use of the Ayeyarwady River for military logistics and expand offensives into Kachin and Sagaing regions.

Myanmar military intensifies pressure on resistance strongholds southwest of Mandalay

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