According to a representative from the Nagani People’s Defense Force, four military council soldiers were killed and two others were seriously injured in an attack during a mine-clearing operation in Ngazun Township, Mandalay Region. On July 6th at around 6 AM, approximately 200 military council troops from Myotha and Gwekun camps moved from Myotha to clear mines that had been planted by the Myingyan District 3 Nagani People’s Defense Force along the Myotha-Gwekun road. During this operation, the military council forces stopped civilian vehicles and forcibly detained civilians, using them to assist in their mine-clearing efforts.
After conducting the mine-clearing operation, while some military council soldiers were hiding in an observation post, revolutionary forces attacked them using two barrel mines. The attack resulted in the immediate death of four military council soldiers and left two others with severe injuries. Following the attack, military council troops transported the dead and injured soldiers to Ngazun town in a Ford vehicle, according to local sources. A representative from the Nagani People’s Defense Force stated that they had initially avoided engagement to prevent civilian casualties, but when the opportunity arose to target the military council soldiers in their hiding position, they carried out the attack that resulted in four deaths and two serious injuries.
These types of attacks occur as a response to the military council’s practices of forcing local civilians to participate in dangerous activities such as mine clearing operations. The military council consistently shows disregard for civilian lives and property, using local people as human shields for their own security purposes. As a result, People’s Defense Forces continue to conduct operations prioritizing civilian safety while targeting military council forces. The incident highlights the ongoing conflict between resistance forces fighting to protect civilians and military council troops who continue to endanger civilian lives through their operations and tactics.
