According to a statement from the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Defense, resistance forces attacked 17 military council vessels traveling up the Ayeyarwady River, resulting in two ships being destroyed by fire and sinking, while two others became inoperable. Five military personnel were killed in the attack. The naval convoy, which departed from Gawwein Port in Mandalay on July 22, was intercepted and attacked by the People’s Defense Force under the command of Mandalay Regional Military Command’s Pyin Oo Lwin District Military Command at various locations between Chaung Thar Le village in Sadaung Gyi township and Kyauk Gyi Zat port.
During the attack, 21 military council troops were injured, and witnesses reported seeing soldiers frantically jumping from a sinking vessel onto another ship. The operation was carried out by the Ayeyarwady Joint Task Force, which included PDF Battalion 509, Pyin Oo Lwin District battalions, Mogok Strategy Force, Sadaung Gyi Township PDF, Myaing Township PDF, Mandalay Division Artillery Force, and allied forces. The coordinated attack demonstrated the resistance forces’ ability to conduct complex military operations against the junta’s naval assets.
Additionally, another group of six military vessels was reported to have departed from Mandalay yesterday morning, also heading upstream along the Ayeyarwady River. The military council is providing air support to these naval convoys with fighter jets and helicopters, conducting aerial bombardments to protect their vessels. Local scouts have warned villages along the riverbanks to remain vigilant due to the presence of these two separate naval groups. The military council’s use of both naval and air assets highlights the escalating nature of the conflict along Myanmar’s vital waterways.
