Resistance forces capture two more towns in western Myanmar

Two more towns have fallen to resistance forces in western Myanmar over the past week, including one in Sagaing Region that was captured earlier this year. On Tuesday, the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) said in a statement that defence forces had seized control of Shwe Pyi Aye, a town on the eastern bank of the Chindwin River in Sagaing’s Homalin Township, on November 22. The small but strategically important town of around 2,500 inhabitants, located less than 15km from Myanmar’s border with India, has been a focal point of recent clashes in the region. In its statement, the NUG said that troops under its command had taken eight junta soldiers in Shwe Pyi Aye prisoner and seized weapons and ammunition. Residents of the area told Myanmar Now that the regime has been carrying out airstrikes on the town and surrounding villages in a bid to regain control—so far without success. According to one local man, military aircraft dropped bombs on the nearby village of Naung San Kyin at around 3pm on Monday and again at around 11:30am on Tuesday. “Each airstrike lasted about an hour,” the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Similar attacks on Naung Hpar Mu, a village some 30km east of Shwe Pyi Aye, on Monday evening left several civilians injured and a number of houses badly damaged, he added. Hundreds of local people have fled the fighting, with many seeking shelter in other villages and in Homalin, the township’s administrative centre, sources there said. “Many were displaced yesterday. They went mainly by motorcycle, because river routes are blocked or unsafe, but the roads are still relatively open,” said a Homalin resident who also asked not to be named. There are five army battalions stationed in Homalin Township, and the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), a military-aligned militia group, also operates in the area. Speaking to Myanmar Now on Tuesday, SNA spokesperson Col. Sai Say denied that anti-junta fighters had taken control of Shwe Pyi Aye and said that the fighting was still ongoing. “I can only say that there have been a great number of casualties on both sides from the clashes in Shwe Pyi Aye, which are still happening today,” he said. This is the second time this year that anti-regime forces have captured Shwe Pyi Aye. In February, they held the town for three days, until they were forced to retreat after coming under heavy aerial and artillery bombardment. A junta base in Shwe Pyi Aye, seen in early February 2023 (Supplied) Shwe Pyi Aye is the third town in Sagaing Region to be captured by resistance forces since the start of Operation 1027, a major anti-junta offensive launched in northern Shan State late last month. On November 6, they gained control of Kawlin, about 200km north of the regional capital Monywa, and the following day, they seized Khampet, near the Indian border. Meanwhile, resistance fighters in Chin State say they have also taken control of their third town so far this month. The Chin Defence Force-Zotung said it captured Yayzwar, a town in Chin State’s Matupi Township, early Wednesday morning. This comes just five days after the fall of Lailenpi, also in Matupi Township, to the China National Army last Friday, and just over two weeks after the capture of the Indo-Myanmar border town of Rikhawdar by the same group on November 13. A member of the CDF Zotung told Myanmar Now that fighting for control of Yayzwar began with attacks on junta outposts on Sunday. “By 10am this morning, we gained control of all the military outposts in the town,” he said on Wednesday, adding that the junta did not send any reinforcement troops from its regional command centre in Hakha, the state capital, despite it being just 160km from Yayzwar. While Chin resistance forces have long had a strong presence in remote parts of Chin State, where transport is difficult due to the mountainous terrain, it is only since the start of Operation 1027 that they have been able to take control of towns in the state.

Resistance forces capture two more towns in western Myanmar

The towns—in Sagaing Region and Chin State—are the latest to fall to anti-regime groups since the start of Operation 1027 just over a month ago

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