Resistance forces inflict heavy losses on Myanmar junta troops in Sagaing’s Wetlet Township

Resistance forces said they wiped out a military column in Sagaing Region’s Wetlet Township last Sunday, ending a campaign of terror that it had been carrying out since the beginning of the month. The column, consisting of around 120 regime soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee militia members, began launching attacks in the township on November 4, torching houses in at least 20 villages, sources said. However, on November 23 the junta forces came under attack while raiding Ponnar, a village located about 12 miles northwest of the town of Wetlet, igniting a full day of intense clashes. “They entered the village and started burning it. Fighting broke out when they sent out a patrol, and then those who were setting the fires also had to come out to take part in the clashes,” said an officer of the Shwebo District People’s Defence Force (PDF). The fighting continued to intensify through the day, with the regime deploying airstrikes, drones, and heavy artillery, according to the PDF officer. “They bombed us with fighter aircraft and fired on us with howitzers from Shwebo. They also used four kamikaze drones to drop bombs during the fighting,” he said. In the end, however, the superior strength of the joint resistance forces prevailed, forcing the junta’s ground troops to retreat to another nearby village after suffering heavy casualties, he added. “Our side’s combat capability has improved. On their side, morale has collapsed—all they’re capable of is destructive acts like looting and burning. But it’s combat capability that matters,” he said. Three resistance fighters sustained minor injuries in the fighting, but no deaths were reported, he added. The column that attacked Ponnar was one of three that converged in Wetlet earlier this month. It retreated to Shwebo after its defeat, while the other two have combined and withdrawn to the border with neighbouring Sagaing Township, where they are said to be holding civilian hostages as human shields. The three columns have destroyed hundreds of houses in Wetlet Township since the beginning of November, according to local sources. This is the third time this month that resistance forces have inflicted heavy casualties on junta troops in Sagaing Region. The other incidents were reported farther north, in Khin-U and Kanbalu townships, where large quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized in a series of attacks. More than 110,000 houses have been torched by regime forces across Myanmar since the military seized power in February 2021, according to figures compiled by Data for Myanmar. Of this, more than 76,000 houses have been destroyed in Sagaing Region alone.

Resistance forces inflict heavy losses on Myanmar junta troops in Sagaing’s Wetlet Township

The column that was wiped out had carried out hundreds of arson attacks in the township

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