Resistance ambushes junta flotilla on Chindwin River, setting fire to five vessels

Junta naval ships were incapacitated this week after repeatedly coming under attack by anti-junta fighters on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Region’s Mawlaik District, resistance sources said. Battalion 3 of the Mawlaik District People’s Defence Forces—commanded by the publicly mandated National Unity Government—said in a public statement that five naval ships had caught fire during what they called the “Shark Operation”, which consisted of a series of three assaults occurring on Friday, July 25, again on the following day, and again the following Monday. The operation consisted of joint, coordinated attacks by Mawlaik District PDF battalions, People’s Defense Organisation members from Mawlaik and Hkamti townships, and other resistance forces based in Sagaing Region’s Hkamti, Tamu, and Katha districts. The damaged ships were part of a 28-vessel flotilla of warships and motorboats moving upriver during the monsoon season, while higher water levels made the river navigable. The flotilla had travelled from Monywa, the largest city in Sagaing Region, passing other towns on the river such as Kani, Mawlaik, Paungbyin, Homalin, and Hkamti. The resistance attacks occurred in Mawlaik and Paungbyin townships, the resistance fighters said. Footage released on Thursday by Battalion 3 showed resistance forces firing on the passing vessels from the riverbank, with smoke plumes rising from the vessels as the fighters landed direct hits on them. "One warship was destroyed. The rest were large motorboats,” the Battalion 3 officer in charge of the Shark Operation said. “When we fire at big warships with projectiles that can penetrate tanks, the effectiveness is limited. Instead of catching fire and becoming inoperable, they get punctured and catch fire, but once the fire is extinguished, they can be towed. That’s why we targeted the large motorboats carrying food supplies and weapons,” the officer explained. “That's why the large motorboats suffered more damage. Those large motorboats also carry shells and MG5 guns," he added. Although there was damage from the attacks, the Battalion 3 officer said the junta personnel were able to complete emergency repairs. “It seems that they had urgent repair equipment on board, so they immediately patched up the damage and kept moving. They towed away the damaged vessels. All 23 remaining vessels were able to continue upstream,” he said. Five junta personnel were killed and eight were wounded, according to the resistance officer, citing accounts from the forces under his command. Myanmar Now has not been able to verify these numbers independently. Smoke rises from a junta ship on the Chindwin River as resistance forces fire from the bank, landing a direct hit (Video still image: Supplied) Having first come under attack shortly after entering Mawlaik District, the flotilla moved upriver around 70 miles before stopping overnight at Paungbyin. The ships then departed from Paungbyin on Monday and are confirmed to have reached Homalin Township, some 60 miles upriver. As the flotilla left from the riverport in Paungbyin Township, junta troops stationed in the township’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 367 and LIB 368 bases fired on a resistance-controlled village north of the town, killing one civilian. “As soon as the vessels started moving away from the port, they started giving them cover by firing off 120mm mortars from Paungbyin. Some of the shells killed a villager,” the Battalion 3 officer said. Although resistance forces have maintained a blockade around Paungbyin for more than a year, cutting off supplies, the flotilla was able to break through it and resupply the junta forces on the upper Chindwin with weapons and supplies, he noted. "With their weapons and reinforcements arriving, they're in a ready position if they want to launch offensives,” he added. “We don’t anticipate a major turning point. But if more reinforcements arrive, major battles could break out. We’re prepared to defend and counterattack.” The 28-vessel flotilla had initially set out from Monywa Township Alonemin Port on July 11. Facing armed resistance on multiple fronts throughout the country, the Myanmar military’s capacity to deploy ground forces is severely diminished, forcing the junta to rely on aircraft and river routes in the rainy season to move reinforcements and supplies. Another flotilla has also been fending off resistance assaults while moving up the Ayeyarwady River between Mandalay and Bhamo, Kachin State, where fierce fighting is ongoing between the military and anti-junta armed groups. Intercepted by resistance forces, some of the ships were forced to stop midway due to damage from the attacks. The remaining vessels, ambushed by resistance forces as they approached Bhamo, were forced to return to the town of Shwegu, Kachin State, some 30 miles short of the flotilla’s destination.

Resistance ambushes junta flotilla on Chindwin River, setting fire to five vessels

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