Rocket attack by urban guerrillas targets Myanmar military’s regional headquarters in Mandalay

An urban guerrilla resistance group claimed responsibility for firing a barrage of shells that damaged buildings, injured a civilian, and may have injured personnel at a military command office early Tuesday morning in Mandalay. At around 4am, short-range rockets struck in at least four separate places in Myanmar’s second-largest city, some in Aungmyethazan Township where the Myanmar army’s Central Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters is located. According to a man in his 20s living in Aungmyethazan Township, shells also hit a Korean reflexology office in the township, as well as a building opposite the junta-controlled Police Station No. 4 and near the Shwe Kyin toll gate in Patheingyi Township, where the military conducts strict security inspections on passing vehicles. “The building in front of Police Station No. 4 was hit, with its side wall damaged by the blast. Another shell exploded near the Shwe Kyin toll gate, injuring the guards there,” the man said. A civilian in his 30s was reportedly injured in the blasts along with the junta soldiers on guard duty at the toll gate, according to the same source. He added that it was unclear whether there was any truth to the rumours that the rockets had damaged the Mandalay Palace, the city’s premier landmark and visitors’ attraction. The Mandalay Palace and Central RMC are located within a few hundred metres of each other in Aungmyethazan Township, and locals sometimes refer to them interchangeably. A woman living near in Aungmyethazan Township told Myanmar Now that she heard Mandalay Palace was under attack after hearing at least six loud rocket explosions. She said she is now contemplating whether to flee the area, fearing she will be in danger from similar attacks if she stays. A resident from Chanayethazan Township reported hearing that junta troops stationed in Aungmyethazan Township had taken fire. “I heard they locked down the whole Palace because of extensive damage from the explosions, and took everyone’s phones. They’re not even letting their own soldiers use phones,” she said. “I’m sure they must have suffered a lot.” Following the attacks, locals say the military has tightened security throughout Mandalay proper as well as at checkpoints in outlying townships. Residents reported seeing many police bustling around the city streets. Building near Police Station No. 4, shown with damage to its side wall from a rocket (Photo: Telegram) Resistance group claims responsibility At around 10am on Tuesday, the urban guerrilla group Brave Warriors for Myanmar (BWM) issued a statement claiming responsibility for the rocket attacks. According to their statement, members of the BWM launched 107mm rocket shells at the RMC headquarters, located just a few hundred metres from Mandalay Palace, and seven of the shells landed and detonated. There were at least four senior military officials among the 18 junta personnel injured in the attack, the BWM statement said, including a major who serves as a personal assistant to Vice-Sen-Gen Soe Win, junta chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s second-in-command. Three of those injured are reportedly in critical condition. The extent of damage to civilian homes was unconfirmed, according to the statement. Myanmar Now has yet to confirm the reports of damage at Mandalay Palace or the Central RMC independently. A BWM officer told Myanmar Now on Tuesday afternoon that the group chose the Central RMC headquarters in Mandalay as its next target following the capture of the Northeastern RMC by anti-junta forces in Lashio, northern Shan State in late July. “If we capture the Central Command, it will have a significant impact, affecting both the central and northern regions from a strategic standpoint,” the officer said. “I believe our mission will be key to bringing down the Central Command.” He added that despite the junta’s efforts to heighten security measures before the attack, the BWM was painstaking and cautious in its preparations, encountering numerous challenges before going ahead with the attacks. He said he was glad that the group’s fighters were alive, safe, and well as a result, and urged the public to avoid areas with a heavy presence of junta troops in case of retaliation. The BWM guerrilla group is active in various parts of Mandalay Region, also appearing in the news in January 2024 after launching a rocket attack on the junta airbase in Tada-U Township, Mandalay Region. Fighting has intensified in Mandalay Region in recent months, with the violence slowly spreading closer to the city, which serves as central Myanmar’s main economic hub. Resistance forces have captured the towns of Singu and Thabeikkyin north of Mandalay, and are fighting fiercely for control of Madaya Township, located only 20 miles to the north. To date, the armed resistance has successfully taken hold of 34 military bases in the region from junta forces. A destroyed house in Mandalay, shown in an image posted on pro-junta propaganda Telegram channels

Rocket attack by urban guerrillas targets Myanmar military’s regional headquarters in Mandalay

Anti-junta guerrillas in Mandalay said they chose the Central Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Mandalay as their target after the Northeastern RMC fell to anti-junta forces in Lashio, northern Shan State

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