Resistance offensives in Bago hit junta targets during Myanmar vote

Resistance forces launched coordinated attacks on Myanmar military, police and election-related targets across Bago Region in the days leading up to the junta’s planned vote, killing dozens of soldiers and disrupting polling preparations, according to anti-junta groups and local sources. The operations, carried out under the banner of “Operation Aung Myin,” formed part of a broader campaign by resistance forces to undermine the military’s election, which opposition groups dismiss as a sham designed to legitimise junta rule.Fighting spread across multiple townships, with attacks on bases, police stations, local administration offices and polling sites, triggering airstrikes, civilian displacement and widespread suspensions of voting in contested areas. A source close to the resistance reported that junta fighter jets dropped bombs near Taw Kywe Inn railway station, with explosions occurring near the two railway tracks and damaging sections of the tracks. “They dropped five bombs,” the source told Myanmar Now. “Two struck and damaged the railway tracks, while the other three hit nearby villages.” The People’s Defence Force (PDF), the nationwide armed wing of the NUG, said they set fire to junta administration buildings, the election commission office, and the local police station in Taw Kywe Inn Town, briefly seizing control of the urban area. They reportedly released eight civilians detained at the Taw Kywe Inn town police station after conducting checks. The military cited security concerns for suspending two major routes and issuing ticket refunds, while resistance forces said they killed at least 50 troops and seized weapons during Operation Aung Myin. Operation Aung Myin involved a coordinated assault by several resistance groups operating in Myanmar’s Bago Region, including local People’s Defense Force units, specialised commando fighters and township-based resistance teams from Oktwin and Phyu, according to a statement from the groups involved.PDF forces pulled out of Taw Kywe Inn Town that afternoon, but many residents had not returned by January 12, citing fears of airstrikes after the fighting. Most women and children fled to safer areas, leaving only a handful of people behind to watch over their homes, a local woman said.Although the military has retaken the town, normal life has yet to resume. Few food shops are open, and troops remain on the streets conducting security operations, she added.“We had to leave our home suddenly and don’t dare return,” the woman from Taw Kywe Inn Town said. “When we do go back, it’s only for a few minutes to collect what we need before leaving again. We’re afraid of airstrikes.”On January 12, resistance forces attacked a junta column moving near Kyein Khar Kone village in Kyauktaga Township, after spotting troops advancing toward the area. The groups said they killed at least 20 soldiers, including the unit’s commander, and wounded several others, forcing the column to retreat. Resistance fighters also seized weapons and ammunition. Two resistance members were killed and three wounded in the clash, according to the groups involved. “I’ve been hearing gunfire from Penwegon since morning,” a Taungoo resident near Penwegon said. “Since it’s close to the old road, commuters have also stopped to watch what’s happening.” Weapons and ammunition seized by resistance forces after clashes with Myanmar military troops in Penwegon Township, Bago Region, during fighting that local groups said was aimed at disrupting junta security operations. (Photo: People’s Defence Force, No. 2 Operation Area) Election day attacksAs election day approached, resistance forces stepped up attacks across Bago Region. Early on January 11, fighters hit a military base near Phyu, sparking heavy clashes along the old Yangon–Mandalay road and forcing the cancellation of voting in dozens of villages across Phyu, Kyauktaga and nearby townships. In neighboring Htantabin Township, resistance groups also carried out drone strikes on regime offices and police posts, killing one person and wounding five others, according to the groups involved. “We learned that security had been set up for the election,” an information officer with the resistance groups told Myanmar Now. “So around 8pm on January 10, we attacked the general administration office. After that, on the following morning, we carried out two more strikes on the administration office and city hall, and also struck the police station.”“We also conducted four drone strikes in total, one on January 10 and three on January 11.”A series of attacks on the morning of January 11 killed a deputy district official and left five others critically wounded, a local information officer told Myanmar Now, citing sources on the ground. As fighting intensified, residents from Phyu and Htantabin fled to monasteries and urban neighborhoods in Taungoo.“They have fled to three or four villages near the Sittaung River basin, close to the town by the railway track,” a source close to the resistance said. “Some are living in makeshift huts, while others are sheltering under trees.”Resistance groups said they carried out mine attacks on junta security forces at several polling stations in Bago Region ahead of voting. In Paungde Township, the local PDF said its fighters targeted three polling sites early January 11 and also fired mortar rounds at a nearby military unit, adding that possible junta casualties were still being assessed.Similar mine attacks were reported near polling stations in Minhla Township late January 10 and early the following day, according to local resistance groups. The two attacks were jointly carried out by People Defence Force Company 4 of Thayarwady District Battalion 3802, also known as the Urban Guerrilla Force–Okpho, and the Minhla Township PDF. On January 7, resistance forces also carried out coordinated attacks on Myanmar military and police sites across Bago Region, killing dozens of junta troops, according to the groups involved. Fighters struck targets in Nattalin, Zigon and Minhla townships, including police stations, militia camps and roadside security posts.Nearly 20 soldiers were killed in an assault on a police station in Nattalin, while nine more died when resistance forces overran a pro-junta militia camp in Zigon Township. Separate attacks along the Yangon–Pyay highway in Minhla killed about 10 troops and wounded at least as many others.The operations also involved local resistance groups and allied fighters from outside Bago. One resistance fighter was killed and five others wounded, the groups said, adding that the attacks were aimed at disrupting the junta’s planned elections. “Even talking about the violence makes me feel very bad,” the woman from Taw Kywe Inn Town said, referencing the junta’s response. “I am afraid, but I try to be brave for the sake of the children.”

Resistance offensives in Bago hit junta targets during Myanmar vote

Days of coordinated assaults on military positions and polling infrastructure killed dozens of troops and forced voting suspensions

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