The information officer of the Thaung Tha Township People’s Defense Force has confirmed that three military council troops were killed and one was captured alive in a battle near Sintewar Stream in Thaung Tha Township. The clash occurred around 10 AM on June 12 when People’s Defense Forces intercepted a military column that had emerged from Thanangyarkone Pyu village, west of Sintewar Stream in Thaung Tha Township. During the engagement, three soldiers were killed, and Private Kyaw Naing Win from Supply and Transport Unit 928 was captured alive.
The battle lasted approximately one hour and involved an interception of a military column that had emerged from Thanangyarkone to provide cover for another column from Thaung Tha. The seized weapons and ammunition from the engagement included one G3 rifle, one MA3 rifle, ten RPG rounds transported by two carts, three ammunition boxes, 118 rounds of ammunition, one drone jammer, and various military equipment and supplies.
Additionally, seven civilians who had been captured and were being used as human shields were successfully rescued without injury during the operation. According to the captured soldier Private Kyaw Naing Win’s testimony, seven more soldiers were reported to have drowned in Sintewar Stream. The military council troops had threatened civilians at gunpoint to move toward the front lines when they became aware of the PDF presence. However, the civilians were able to signal their presence to the PDF forces by raising white flags attached to rice bags, enabling their rescue.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Thaung Tha Township People’s Defense Force and Myingyan District Battalion No. 3, resulting in a successful engagement with no casualties on the resistance side. Following the battle, a military column of approximately 100 troops that had deployed from Thaung Tha town was forced to retreat back to the town. The successful operation demonstrated the growing capabilities of the resistance forces in the region while highlighting the military council’s continued use of civilian human shields in their operations.
