Two military council soldiers were killed when local resistance forces attacked troops who were forcibly recruiting young people as porters and extorting money on Union Highway No. 3 in Chauk Township, Magway Region. The attack occurred around 11:30 AM on February 28th, when resistance forces targeted approximately 10 military council soldiers using mines. According to Ko Paing, a representative from the Chauk Guerrilla Force, at least two soldiers were killed and more than three others were seriously injured in the attack.
The operation was jointly carried out by several resistance groups including the Chauk Guerrilla Force (CGF), Chauk Township People’s Defense Force, Magway District PDF Special Operations Force, and the Alawaka Urban Guerrilla Force. The military council troops had been operating under the guise of providing road security while forcibly recruiting local youths as porters and demanding money from civilians in the area. The attack also involved a vehicle used by the military council forces.
Ko Paing confirmed that several soldiers suffered severe injuries including lost limbs during the attack, which was carried out using Padaythar mines. The military council troops had been known to regularly engage in forced recruitment of porters and extortion in the area, using road security operations as a pretext. While no forced porter recruitment was observed on the day of the attack, there had been numerous previous incidents of such activities by the military council forces in the area.
