A defected soldier named Nan Lin Thu has revealed that numerous military council troops were killed during the battle in Nyaung Kyo, Pantaung Township, Bago Region, due to misguided airstrikes by the military council’s air force. According to his account, the combination of erroneous bombing by military aircraft and attacks by the Arakan Army (AA) resulted in the deaths of more than 120 military council soldiers, with the remaining troops dispersing and fleeing the area.
Nan Lin Thu, a new recruit, was forcibly conscripted on September 18, 2024, when he was captured as a porter by military council forces in Yebenseinhtoregyi village, Kyopinkuak Township. He was then taken to the 6th Infantry Division and subsequently transferred to the No. 4 Military Training School in Wekali, Thanzayat Township, where he completed the 6th batch of military training. After training, he was deployed to the Natsankwin frontline outpost in Kyaukgyi Township, Bago Region, before being sent to the Nyaung Kyo outpost.
On March 16, Nan Lin Thu surrendered without weapons to the Underground Guerrilla Force-Oakpho of Battalion 3802, Division 4, in Thayarwady District. He expressed his intention to join the revolutionary forces and fight against the violent military. He revealed that he had previously attempted to escape from the Natsankwin frontline but was unable to do so due to minefields. Later, when ordered to go to Rakhine State, he attempted to escape while his unit was restocking ammunition at the Taungoo base.
According to a PDF official from Thayarwady District, Nan Lin Thu was recaptured at the Mininechaung checkpoint in Thayarwady and detained at the Pyay military base. The military council later released him from detention and sent him back to Nyaung Kyo. Nan Lin Thu reported that more soldiers died from the military’s own airstrikes than from AA attacks during the Nyaung Kyo battle. The Underground Guerrilla Force-Oakpho of Battalion 3802, Division 4, in Thayarwady District has issued a statement encouraging new military recruits to defect as soon as possible, promising appropriate rewards for those who surrender with their weapons.
