A spokesperson from the Thayarwaddy District PDF has confirmed that 10 military soldiers were killed in a clash with revolutionary forces in the Bago Yoma region of Minhla Township, Bago Division, with four bodies recovered from the battlefield. The incident occurred when revolutionary forces from Battalion 3802 Column 5 Strategic Force of Thayarwaddy District intercepted a military column of over 100 troops near White Chinese Hill between Haingyu Junction and Pyinkadoe Village. The military column was advancing on foot along the Seikanthlan-Myochaung cross-mountain route towards Khachin Mountain in the Bago Yoma region around 11:30 PM on May 22.
The engagement lasted approximately one hour with both sides exchanging heavy and small arms fire. At least 10 military soldiers were killed and many others were wounded before the military troops retreated in disarray towards Banbwekone Village. The following morning at around 5:30 AM on May 23, another 15-minute clash broke out when military forces returned to retrieve the bodies of their fallen soldiers. The revolutionary forces had to withdraw after the military responded with sustained heavy weapons fire. During a clearing operation around the battle site at 8 AM on May 24, resistance forces recovered military equipment and discovered one soldier’s body that had been dumped in a ravine, along with three other bodies that had been hastily buried. Blood pools were also found in the area. The resistance forces provided proper burial for the recovered bodies of the military soldiers on humanitarian grounds.
A Thayarwaddy District PDF official provided details of the engagement, explaining that the military column they attacked included troops who had been with the unit that suffered casualties from snake bites at Mukha Dam. The resistance forces ambushed them at night, initially targeting an officer referred to as ‘Bo Lay’ with 40mm weapons fire, which initiated the clash. The official emphasized that their forces maintained tactical discipline throughout the operation while inflicting significant casualties on the military unit. The recovery of bodies and military equipment confirmed the extent of the military’s losses in the engagement, demonstrating the effectiveness of the resistance forces’ defensive operations in the Bago Yoma region.
