A defected soldier named Nan Lin Thu has revealed that numerous military council troops were killed during the battle in Nyaung Kyoe, Pantaung Township, Bago Region, due to mistaken bombing by the military council’s air force. According to reports, more than 120 soldiers died as a result of both erroneous airstrikes by military aircraft and attacks by the Arakan Army (AA), while the remaining troops scattered and fled from their positions.
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 Kyeepinkaut Township’s Yayban Seinyoegyi village. He was taken to the 6th Infantry Division and subsequently sent to the No. 4 Military Advanced Training School in Wekali, Thayazayat Township, where he completed the 6th batch of military training. After training, he was deployed to the Natthankin frontline outpost in Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region, before being transferred to the Nyaung Kyoe outpost.
On March 16, Nan Lin Thu surrendered without weapons to the Underground Guerrilla Force-Ohtpo of Battalion 3802 Column 4 in Thayarwady District. According to his testimony, he had attempted to escape while stationed at the Natthankin frontline but was unable to do so due to minefields. Later, when he was ordered to go to Rakhine State and was at the Taungoo base for ammunition resupply, he managed to escape. However, he was recaptured at the Meeninchaunggat checkpoint in Thayarwady and detained at the Pyay military base. The military council subsequently released him and sent him back to Nyaung Kyoe.
According to a PDF official from Thayarwady District, more soldiers died from the military’s own airstrikes than from the Arakan Army’s attacks during the battle at Nyaung Kyoe. Currently, the Underground Guerrilla Force-Ohtpo of Battalion 3802 Column 4 in Thayarwady District has issued a statement encouraging new military recruits to defect, promising appropriate rewards for those who surrender with their weapons. This incident highlights the ongoing internal challenges faced by the military council and the increasing number of defections from their ranks.
