Resistance assaults militia-held villages in Sagaing Region

Five villages controlled by junta-trained Pyu Saw Htee militias came under attack by anti-junta fighters last week in Sagaing Region’s Ye-U and Shwebo townships. Resistance fighters first attacked a Pyu Saw Htee base in the village of Aung Thar Yar some 10 miles north of Ye-U, Sagaing Region on Friday before mounting simultaneous assaults on the villages of Nyaung Kaing, Zee Hpyu Kone, Tei Thee Taw, and Thee Kone in Shwebo Township the next day. The attack on Aung Thar Yar was carried out by the People’s Defence Forces (PDF)—the armed wing of the publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG)—and allied resistance groups including the 96 Soldiers group, the Bamar National Revolutionary Army (BNRA), and the Zero Guerrilla Force based in Myingyan, Mandalay Region. Although they were unable to seize the militia base in Aung Thar Yar due to the military’s deployment of air support following the initial attack, the alliance of resistance groups were able to capture two soldiers and five militia members, according to a statement released by the 96 Soldiers group. The number of casualties from the battle remains unconfirmed. Resistance sources say that members of the BNRA and Zero Guerrilla Force attacked Tei Thee Taw at the same time other resistance groups in the alliance attacked Nyaung Kaing, Zee Hpyu Kone, and Thee Kone. All four villages are strongholds of the Pyu Saw Htee militias operating in Shwebo Township. “We fired heavy artillery shells on nearby villages to cut off the approach of any army or Pyu Saw Htee reinforcements. Tei Thee Taw was the main target of our attack,” a member of the Shwebo District PDF said. Thet Gyi, leader of the Myingyan-based Zero Guerrilla Force, said there were some 50 army and Pyu Saw Htee personnel stationed in Tei Thee Taw when the attack on the village began at around 6am. The resistance forces succeeded in taking most of the city’s security outposts before a junta airstrike brought the fighting to a halt. According to Thet Gyi, resistance members had come close to taking full control before the airstrikes forced them to withdraw. “We only had one bunker left to seize. We had to retreat because we received information that they were going to airdrop reinforcements. We were ultimately unable to seize the entire base, but we were able to take out at least 20 enemies,” Thet Gyi said. Captured Pyu Saw Htee militia members (BNRA) A BNRA spokesperson confirmed the resistance had fought for the village with massive force before the junta air force’s attack. “We assaulted Tei Thee Taw with overwhelming force, battling for half a day. But we weren’t able to retrieve bodies or weapons because we had to retreat hastily during an airstrike,” the BNRA spokesperson said. According to local residents, Pyu Saw Htee militia members in Zee Hpyu Kone and Tei Thee Taw left their outposts and retreated to Thee Kone village, where army forces were stationed.The PDF has already succeeded in seizing the town of Kawlin, Sagaing Region with the help of allied organisations fighting against the junta.

Resistance assaults militia-held villages in Sagaing Region

Anti-junta fighters say they captured soldiers and junta-trained militia members as well as forcing the militias to retreat from two villages under their control in Shwebo District

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