According to a responsible officer from the 12th Battalion, Unit 3 (Lightning Unit) in Monywa District, four military council soldiers were killed during a mine-clearing operation on the Monywa-Mandalay road in Chaung-U Township, Sagaing Region. The incident occurred between Gwaypin Taw village and Natyeikan village when People’s Defense Force members attacked the mine-clearing team. The attack took place at 3:14 PM on August 1st.
The incident began when military forces stationed at Gwaypin Taw village departed with a Light Truck and military vehicles for mine clearing operations, while another military group from Natyeikan base left with a six-wheeled truck. The two groups met at a point along the road. Together, they managed to clear three sets of mines, each containing 10 mines (totaling 30 mines) that had been planted by the People’s Defense Force on the Monywa-Mandalay road.
However, as the military council soldiers were withdrawing, People’s Defense Force members launched an attack using the remaining two sets of mines (20 mines in total), resulting in the death of four soldiers and injuries to many others. Three of the deceased soldiers were from the Gwaypin Taw contingent, while one soldier from the Natyeikan group died after returning to the base. Following the attack, military council forces increased their presence in the area, conducting extensive patrols and firing small arms indiscriminately. The 12th Battalion, Unit 3 (Lightning Unit) has stated their commitment to continue operations against military council forces along the Monywa-Mandalay road, expressing willingness to cooperate with any revolutionary forces and requesting public support for ammunition funding to combat the military council troops.
