Myanmar resistance forces capture pro-regime militia base in Magway Region

Resistance forces captured a base operated by the pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia in Magway Region’s Myaing Township on Saturday, according to groups involved in the operation. The base, located in Tha Yet Kan, a village about 13 miles south of the town of Myaing, was defended by around 150 regime soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members, resistance sources said. Intensive airstrikes were also carried out by the regime during the battle for control of the base. Tha Yet Kan is considered strategically important because it lies near the Pathein-Monywa road and routes connected to local oil fields, making it a key location for military operations and communications in the area. “With the base dismantled and barriers cleared, our routes are now open and the movement of goods has improved,” said Bo Bo Thant Zin, information officer for the Anyar Myay Coalition Force, one of the groups involved. “For them, however, their position has been significantly weakened, leaving no route to advance.” Resistance forces launched their attack on the night of May 22 amid heavy rain. During the fighting, nearly 70 junta soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members fled, Bo Bo Thant Zin said. “They fled to Twin Ma, the nearest village, about two miles from the battlefield, with both wounded and able-bodied personnel,” he said. “They left 49 people behind, mostly the elderly, the sick, and children. The rest withdrew before we could capture them.” Bo Bo Thant Zin said the 49 people remaining at the base when it was seized were given medical treatment. Tha Yet Kan once had a population of about 2,000, but residents have gradually left since the junta established a base in the village, resistance groups said. During the battle, four junta personnel were killed, according to resistance sources. Resistance fighters also seized 11 carbines and six home-made firearms of a type commonly supplied by the military to militias, as well as ammunition and several landmines. The Anyar Myay Coalition Force said two resistance fighters were killed and four others were wounded. Following the loss of Tha Yet Kan, the junta reportedly airlifted about 100 reinforcements, along with weapons and ammunition, to a heavy industry facility about four miles from Myaing, Bo Bo Thant Zin said. “After deploying the reinforcements, junta forces have been shelling surrounding villages with 60mm and 120mm artillery, and have also carried out continuous attacks using drone-dropped bombs,” he said. The increased artillery and drone attacks have forced residents of nearby villages to flee. Locals were also warned to avoid entering Tha Yet Kan because of the risk posed by landmines and the possibility of renewed fighting. Myaing Township, which borders Sagaing Region, is considered an important transport and communications hub. Resistance forces have now captured two key Pyu Saw Htee-controlled villages in the township—Wet Poke and Tha Yet Kan—leaving junta and Pyu Saw Htee forces with bases only in the villages of Twin Ma and Kanni, resistance sources said. The operation to seize Tha Yet Kan involved an alliance of armed resistance organisations active in the area. The Magway People’s Defence Force, Pakokku District PDF battalions, and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front were among the groups that took part in the fighting.

Myanmar resistance forces capture pro-regime militia base in Magway Region

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