Resistance captures junta outposts in Mandalay Region as fighting spreads closer to city

Clashes are ongoing in Patheingyi Township and spreading closer to the city of Mandalay since resistance forces captured several military outposts in the township, a resistance spokesperson said on Wednesday. The Mandalay People’s Defence Forces (MDY-PDF), an anti-junta armed resistance group commanded by the publicly mandated National Unity Government, captured two junta outposts in the last two weeks of July, according to their spokesperson: one in Aung Tha Pyay village and one at the Aung Tha Pyay bus station some 12 miles north of Mandalay Hill. The MDY-PDF is still fighting junta forces in Mya Kan Tha village, Patheingyi Township, some 11 miles from Mandalay Hill, the group’s spokesperson said. Anti-junta resistance fighters have been engaged in offensive operations in Madaya Township, Mandalay Region since June 25, overrunning 35 junta outposts altogether including three in Patheingyi Township, one of which is located at the Alpha Cement Factory. A local woman assisting internally displaced persons (IDPs) told Myanmar Now that many residents of Patheingyi Township have fled their homes to escape the fighting northeast of Mandalay. “There are people from Patheingyi Township among the IDPs. They've been evacuating. For now, many are seeking refuge in Mandalay. They’re mainly afraid of airstrikes and heavy artillery, rather than infantry battles,” the aid worker said. “Moreover, the military council’s troops stationed in some villages bordering Madaya and Patheingyi townships. Once they set up camp, people started fleeing,” she added. A villager from Aung Tha Pyay village in Patheingyi Township also told Myanmar Now on Thursday afternoon (August 1) that although resistance groups have captured military outposts near their village, the entire civilian population of the village has fled. “Although resistance forces have taken over the area, we're still afraid to return home due to fears of airstrikes and heavy artillery. The entire village is evacuated. Some people have fled to nearby farms and woods, while others have fled to Madaya or Mandalay,” the villager said. He added that due to phone and data service interruptions during the clashes, he has lost contact with most of the people from his village, who have fled in various directions. Mandalay prepares for approaching conflict On the evening of July 26, the military council's Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 119 and Infantry Battalion (IB) 4 bases near Yankin Hill in Patheingyi Township were reportedly attacked with rockets, according to Mandalay residents and resistance forces. City residents confirmed they had heard loud explosions coming from east of the city around 9pm that night. However, the extent of damage in the military units could not be confirmed. Residents of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second most populous city and a key commercial hub in central Myanmar, are growing concerned as the fighting gradually spreads closer. "Crowded areas aren't as busy as before. There are fewer people on the streets,” said a woman in her 20s living in the city’s Chanmyathazi Township. “Some shops have closed, though others remain open.” With the conflict approaching the city, residents are prioritising the relocation of older people to safety. “We’re young, so our main concern is our parents. If there’s an emergency, it will be difficult for the elderly to flee fast enough, so we’re arranging to send our older family members somewhere safer,” she said. Junta fighter jets and supply helicopters, which have been flying low over Mandalay’s urban wards on the way to battlefields in Madaya, Singu, and Thabeikkyin townships, have been causing anxiety among the city’s residents, the woman said. “We're constantly on edge with aircraft flying over our rooftops, worrying something could happen. Children even run inside the house when they hear noises from the aircraft. We live with this anxiety every day," she continued. Anticipating an emergency as news of the battles in the region reaches them, people in Mandalay have been stockpiling rice, cooking oil, gasoline, and other supplies, a woman living in Maha Aungmyay Township said. “The main concern is gasoline. Gasoline is in quite short supply now. Some shops don't have any, and we see people buying gasoline whenever they can,” she said, adding, “Rice and oil are the main items people are stocking up on. They're buying far more at a time than usual.” For months, IDPs from various parts of Myanmar have been coming to Mandalay, which was formerly an important transportation hub, and to Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region, which is known as the home to several elite military academies and has a reputation for safety. Once considered safe havens, both cities are now menaced by the approaching conflict and other potential security failures. The military council has reportedly moved the families of soldiers from outlying camps to the military base in Mandalay Palace as battles intensified near Mandalay, and is reported to be stacking sandbags along the moat and perimeter walls to fortify its defences. The Myanmar army has also reportedly assigned more personnel to reinforce security checkpoints in the city and deployed more troops to various strategic sites in the vicinity, such as Mandalay Hill, Yankin Hill, and high-rise buildings in the city centre, as well as government offices, police stations, and monasteries.

Resistance captures junta outposts in Mandalay Region as fighting spreads closer to city

As the regime reinforces security in Mandalay and city residents hear of battles less than 20 miles away, some are stockpiling supplies and making plans to move relatives out of harm’s way

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