Revolutionary forces conducted a two-month-long blockade and attack against the military council troops advancing from the Mandalay-Shwebo road section to Sartaung in Sagaing Region, resulting in significant casualties for the military council forces. In response to these losses, the military council forces retaliated by burning down civilian homes, according to local residents and revolutionary sources. The military operation, which began in June, involved Tank Battalion 6005 of the military council forces, including armored vehicles and approximately 400 personnel advancing along the Mandalay-Shwebo road section.
During the two months of continuous resistance operations, revolutionary forces engaged in multiple confrontations with the military column. These encounters resulted in significant casualties for the military council forces, with some soldiers surrendering and others being captured alive. The military council forces, having suffered substantial losses, proceeded to systematically burn down eight villages: Thitchokekone, Kyaw Zeya, Pagan Tu, Yanmagyin, Choungkyi, Linhtalu, Thanphutaw, and Kyarmin Gyi. The arson attacks destroyed hundreds of homes, and the military operation has forced thousands of civilians from more than twenty villages along the Mandalay-Shwebo road to flee to safer locations.
While the military council column has now reached Sartaung, local civilians continue to remain displaced from their homes due to fears of further confrontations. The systematic burning of villages and forced displacement represents an ongoing pattern of the military council’s retaliatory actions against civilian populations in areas where they encounter resistance. The situation has created a humanitarian crisis in the region, with thousands of civilians unable to return to their homes and continuing to seek refuge in safer areas. The destruction of these eight villages has resulted in the loss of not only homes but also community infrastructure and civilian property, significantly impacting the lives of local residents who have been forced to flee their communities.
