Resistance forces seize two junta bases in Bago offensive

Resistance forces carried out coordinated assaults in Bago Region’s Kyaukkyi Township on July 25, capturing two strategic positions held by junta troops, local sources said. Despite heavy junta artillery bombardments and drone strikes, resistance forces managed to seize the two junta bases, pushing back military forces. “The entire village was heavily fortified with fences, trenches and numerous bunkers as it was surrounded by areas under our control,” a spokesperson for the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) told Myanmar Now. “Clashes began at 11:26 pm on Thursday and ended at about 6:30 am on Friday when junta troops pulled back from the village.” In response to the resistance assault, a junta warplane launched two rounds of airstrikes during the fighting. The P-3702 Battalion of the People’s Defense Forces said the regime sent a reinforcement column from Nat Than Kwin. “The soldiers that retreated from Yin Taik Kone were later joined by a column of junta troops and launched a counter-offensive,” a resistance fighter said. “But we managed to repel the attack.”Bago Region has emerged as a key battleground in Myanmar’s civil war, with resistance forces targeting junta outposts and transport routes to disrupt military control. Once relatively quiet, the area’s strategic location has drawn intensified clashes despite ongoing regime airstrikes and artillery. Junta troops took control of Yin Taik Kone village last year after civilians in the area were displaced by the clashes. Situated on a key supply route connecting the junta-held towns of Nat Than Kwin and Kyaukkyi, the village was turned into a fortified outpost by the military regime. Allied resistance forces under No. 25 Strategic Command in Bago Region, along with the Battalion 9 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), carried out the assault on the junta outpost. Photographs shared on social media by resistance forces indicate several weapons and ammunition were seized during the clashes. People Defense Forces from Bago Region’s Strategic Commands of 24 and 26, along with the Battalion 8 of the KNLA, also launched simultaneous attacks on another junta base in Lapat village, located around four miles north of Yin Taik Kone. According to a resistance statement, family members of junta troops trapped in the clash were later escorted to safety by anti-junta forces. But resistance forces explained that they were unable to evacuate some civilians who were trapped amid the fighting in La Pat village, an area controlled by pro-junta militias. The military has accused resistance forces of killing 13 civilians, including children, during recent clashes in La Pat. However, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government (NUG) denied the allegations on Monday, calling them a common tactic used by the military regime in its propaganda campaign. “The People’s Defence Force, which was established to protect civilians, operates under a strict code of conduct,” Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the NUG told Myanmar Now. “We are fully confident that there have been no incidents of targeting civilians, shooting people at close range with small arms, or attacking them with clubs and knives.” Although anti-junta forces face monsoon season challenges across Bago, they are still continuing coordinated attacks on junta-held villages and outposts along the highway linking Penwegon, Nat Than Kwin, and Kyaukkyi. In its fifth year of conflict, the resistance still faces major disadvantages, including limited firepower and ongoing weapons shortages, compared to the better-armed military regime.The military regime has also deployed advanced drones to target civilians in resistance-held areas of Kyaukkyi Township. Last month, a junta drone strike hit a school in Taw Kyaung Pauk village, killing six civilians including two children.“Despite the support from the (NUG) Ministry of Defense, our resources are far from sufficient,” a resistance fighter said. “The needs for our operations are very high, so we urge our people to keep supporting us.”

Resistance forces seize two junta bases in Bago offensive

Despite airstrikes and reinforcements, anti-junta fighters capture key outposts in Kyaukkyi Township

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