Myanmar regime intensifies attacks on resistance-held towns of Tagaung and Banmauk

Two towns north of Myanmar’s second-largest city of Mandalay have come under heavy attack since late last week, as the country’s military junta intensifies its offensives in areas controlled by the National Unity Government (NUG). On November 30, airstrikes on Tagaung, a town located about 130 miles north of Mandalay in Mandalay Region’s Thabeikkyin Township, killed four civilians, including a child under the age of 10, and injured six others, local sources told Myanmar Now. The attack, which was carried out by two junta aircraft at around 8:30pm, took place far from any active battle zone, according to a local man who did not want to be identified by name. “Bombs were dropped on civilians’ homes. Four people, including a child, were killed, and some of the injured remain in critical condition,” the man said on Wednesday. The nearest clashes, he said, were taking place near Twin Nge, a village about 30 miles to the south, where the regime’s Higher Military Training School No. 13 is located. NUG-led forces captured Tagaung, a historically important town on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, in August of last year. In recent weeks, the junta has mounted offensives with large troop deployments, supported by drones and airstrikes, to retake the road from Madaya to Mogok, which passes through Thabeikkyin Township, after capturing all of Madaya Township early last month. Meanwhile, junta forces and the allied Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) have also been attacking Banmauk, an NUG-controlled town in Sagaing Region about 100 miles north of Tagaung. Resistance forces seized Banmauk in late September and have since managed to repel the regime’s efforts to retake it. However, fighting has intensified since November 18, when junta and SNA forces recaptured a strategic hill about a mile west of the town. “They have taken the Na Ta La hill and are advancing, but the resistance forces continue to hold them back,” said a local man, adding that the regime forces have stepped up their attacks since last Sunday (November 30). “Planes have been coming daily, with one or two dropping bombs each time,” the man said. Residents reported that, beyond the clash sites, airstrikes also damaged homes in Banmauk’s urban wards, with several houses set ablaze. The number of casualties and the full extent of the damage remain unconfirmed. In recent days, junta troops approaching the town have been forced to withdraw after sustaining heavy losses, according to resistance sources. “We’re holding firm. The enemy’s warplanes have been dropping bombs to support their advance, but they still haven’t broken through. We haven’t suffered any casualties yet, but they are now using kamikaze drones, so we must stay alert,” said one source. Ongoing clashes and junta airstrikes have forced residents of four urban wards and more than 15 villages to flee to safety. Around 2,000 residents have been relocated to resistance-controlled villages east of the town, according to a local administrator. At present, only about 5,000 people remain in Banmauk, with more than half of the population having fled to other areas amid fears of impending battles for control of the town. A coalition of resistance forces seized Pinlebu, a town around 60 miles southwest of Banmauk, in October 2024, and took control of Indaw, about 28 miles east of Banmauk, in April of this year. NUG forces and their allies also control Maw Lu, Khampat, Myothit, and Shwe Pyi Aye in Sagaing Region.

Myanmar regime intensifies attacks on resistance-held towns of Tagaung and Banmauk

The towns, in Mandalay and Sagaing regions, have both been targeted by junta airstrikes in recent days

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