Myanmar junta forces seized a resistance training camp in central Myanmar’s Sagaing Region on Saturday after an air and ground assault that left three resistance fighters and three civilians dead, a spokesperson for a local defence group said.
The training camp was located on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady River, about 3km southeast of the village of Hpa Yar Lay Kone in Wetlet Township, the spokesperson for the Wetlet People’s Defence Team (PDT) told Myanmar Now.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that two Mi-35 attack helicopters and two fighter jets were used in the initial assault, which lasted around 30 minutes. This was followed by a two-hour ground attack by around 100 junta troops airlifted into the area by four Mi-17 helicopters.
“There was no fighting in the area before the assault, which they launched suddenly from the air while we were in the middle of our training session,” he said, adding that nearby villages were also hit in the attack.
Photos released by the Wetlet PDT showed extensive damage to the school in Hpa Yar Lay Kone after it was fired on from the air. No casualties were reported, as the attack took place during the lunch break, the group said on its Facebook page.
Two resistance fighters were killed at the camp—one in the aerial attack and the other during the ensuing ground battle—while a third died nearby, according to the group’s spokesperson.
“Our people were barely able to defend themselves. They hadn’t been provided with many weapons, as it was just a training camp,” he said.
Two 60mm grenade launchers and some other weapons and ammunition were seized by the regime forces after the shootout, he added.
The airstrikes also forced residents of Thit Seint Kone, a village about 5km from the camp, to flee, according to a local man.
“Everyone was terrified. We were attacked like this once before, but there was just one aircraft that time, so it wasn’t so scary,” said the man, who did not want to be named.
“This time, there were three explosions, each one like a loud thunderclap, and the whole village was crying out for help. We all just ran as fast as we could without taking any of our belongings.”
The two Mi-35 helicopters involved in the attack reportedly came from Monywa, some 70km southwest of Wetlet, while the four Mi-17 helicopters were from a military base in Shwebo, about 25km to the north.
Resistance forces said that after Saturday’s attack, soldiers stationed on a nearby hill torched the training camp. Clashes were still taking place in the area on Monday, local sources reported.
Meanwhile, there were also reports that seven resistance fighters had been killed on Saturday in Taze Township, some 75km northwest of Wetlet.
Three died while on scouting duty near the village of Dei Yauk, which is close to the border with Ye-U Township, while the other four were killed after being captured while planting explosives targeting junta troops, a resistance source told Myanmar Now.
The deaths were attributed to poor communication among the resistance forces, the source said.
On Sunday, photos of the Wetlet training camp and weapons seized there were circulating widely on the Telegram channels of pro-junta media groups.
