On March 7, a battle on the Monywa-Mandalay road resulted in the deaths of 17 military council troops and three civilian passengers, including a child, after the military used passenger vehicles and their occupants as human shields during the fighting, according to an official from the Chaukmae Mae Yanmar Pan Township Allied Forces.
The clash occurred on March 4 at approximately 3:10 PM when revolutionary alliance forces attacked two armored military vehicles that had departed from Monywa city. The forces targeted a military Jammer vehicle with mines, causing it to stop, while the second military vehicle was destroyed with small arms fire. During the battle, the military’s Chaung-U Township Agriculture Office and Myapyugyi army outpost provided artillery support with 120mm weapons, while the Northwest Military Command offered air support using engine-mounted paratroopers.
The battle resulted in the deaths of 17 military council personnel, including one deputy officer, while one revolutionary fighter was wounded. The resistance forces managed to destroy two military vehicles and captured various weapons including 4 MA-1 rifles, 1 MA-3, 3 MA-11s, 1 G-3, 1 G-1, one 60mm mortar, one 40mm rotating gun, and 22 various ammunition magazines. During the engagement, military reinforcements arrived using civilian passenger vehicles, effectively using the civilian passengers as human shields.
Among the passengers who were rescued by revolutionary forces, three were killed by artillery fire from the military. The deceased were identified as a woman in her 50s, 27-year-old Ma May Thar Phi Oo from Monywa, and her 3-year-old daughter Ma Khayay Htet. The revolutionary forces were able to evacuate the remaining civilian passengers to safety outside the battle zone.
