Two military council soldiers were killed when resistance forces attacked troops who were forcibly recruiting young people as porters and extorting money on Union Highway No. 3 in Chauk Township, Magway Region. The attack occurred around 11:30 AM on February 28th and was carried out through coordination between the Chauk Guerrilla Force, Chauk Township People’s Defense Force, Magway District PDF Special Operations Force, and Alawaka Urban Guerrilla Force.
According to a spokesperson from the Chauk Guerrilla Force, approximately 10 military council soldiers were present during the attack, positioned as if conducting road security operations with one vehicle. While no forced porter recruitment was observed on the day of the attack, there had been multiple incidents in previous days where the troops had been forcibly recruiting local youth as porters and extorting money from civilians. The attack was carried out using Padaythar mines, resulting in the confirmed deaths of two military council soldiers and severe injuries, including leg amputations, to at least three others.
The military council forces have been consistently engaging in forced recruitment of civilians as porters, using them as human shields in military operations, and extorting money across various regions, prompting effective counterattacks from resistance forces. These coordinated attacks are believed to help control the military council’s brutal actions and provide protection for local civilians’ security. The resistance forces maintain their commitment to defending local communities from such oppressive practices while continuing their broader struggle against the military council’s rule.
