The information officer of the Danu People’s Liberation Army (DPLA) has revealed that the military council is forcing new recruits to fight under the influence of drugs in their attempts to recapture Naung Cho city in northern Shan State. The military council is conducting offensive operations using two columns of troops, including newly graduated soldiers from the Pyin Oo Lwin military training school, advancing from both Pyin Oo Lwin township and the southern region. These attacks are being met with resistance from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and allied forces, who are maintaining defensive positions in the area.
According to DPLA sources, the military council employs inhumane tactics, forcing drug-intoxicated new recruits to advance into battle, compelling them to march over the bodies of their fallen comrades and continue fighting. The resistance forces have also been assisting in the rescue of soldiers attempting to escape from the military, successfully evacuating at least eight soldiers in recent days. These deserters have been transferred to liberated areas after coordination with relevant revolutionary organizations. The military council’s desperate tactics reflect their increasingly difficult position in maintaining control over their forces.
Despite the military council’s announcement of a ceasefire throughout June, they continue to conduct artillery strikes and aerial attacks around Naung Cho city. The military council has been attempting to retake Naung Cho by mobilizing troops from various divisions and military training schools, but these efforts have thus far proved unsuccessful. Revolutionary forces are urging young people who might be forcibly recruited under the military service law to seek refuge in liberated areas, and those already within the military to find ways to escape rather than risk their lives for the military council’s cause. The situation highlights the ongoing crisis within the military council’s forces and their increasingly desperate measures to maintain their campaign of oppression against the people of Myanmar.
