Resistance forces attack Myanmar junta air base north of Mandalay

Resistance forces launched an assault on a regime air defence base in Mandalay Region’s Madaya Township on Tuesday, according to fighters involved in the attack and local residents. The Air Defence Battalion 1014 base, located in the eastern part of the township near the village of Ingyin Myaing and the Sedawgyi Dam, came under attack early in the morning, sources there said. “Fighting started in the morning and is still intense. We are now chasing and attacking a junta convoy approaching from the Mandalay area,” said a resistance fighter who spoke to Myanmar Now Tuesday afternoon. He added that the junta was using airstrikes to defend the base and was trying to send reinforcements into the area. A local man said that regime forces stationed in the town of Madaya and other villages in the township were making their way to the base, both on foot and in military vehicles. The town has also been blockaded, he added. The attack was carried out by the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF) and allied resistance forces loyal to the shadow National Unity Government (NUG). A member of an NUG-led tactical unit said that all anti-regime groups based in Mandalay Region were involved in the attack on the Madaya air defence base as part of a larger operation. “The areas targeted are in northern Shan State or in bordering townships, including Nawnghkio, Pyin Oo Lwin, Mogok and Madaya,” he said. The assault on the base in Madaya came as the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) initiated attacks on Tuesday in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio and Kyaukme townships and Mandalay Region’s Mogok Township, where the TNLA’s Brigade 2 maintains a headquarters. In a statement released later in the day, the TNLA’s information department referred to the fighting as a resumption of Operation 1027, an anti-regime offensive launched by the TNLA and its allies in October of last year. The Brotherhood Alliance, consisting of the TNLA, the Arakan Army, and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, captured 300 junta bases and 16 towns during the offensive, which was put on hold in January after China brokered a ceasefire. In July of last year, MDY-PDF and allied forces launched a similar attack on the air defence base in Madaya, but was eventually forced to retreat. It was unclear at the time of reporting how much damage had been done to the base in the latest attack. Madaya Township is regarded as a resistance stronghold, and has been a frequent target of attacks by the regime, often resulting in heavy civilian casualties. In one incident last November, 11 locals were shot and killed at a teashop in the town.

Resistance forces attack Myanmar junta air base north of Mandalay

The attack came as anti-regime groups in neighbouring Shan State announced the resumption of Operation 1027 on Tuesday

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