Updated Feb. 27, 2025, 02:16 p.m. ET.
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Pro-democracy fighters and allied ethnic minority insurgents have captured a string of military positions in central Myanmar, the latest setback for the junta that has lost control of about half the country, a parallel government in exile said on Thursday.
The allied insurgent forces captured seven military camps in the Bago region, on the old main road between the former capital, Yangon, and Myanmar’s second-biggest city, Mandalay, the National Unity Government, or NUG, said in a statement.
The NUG, set up by supporters of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said eight junta soldiers were killed in the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday by fighters from a pro-democracy People’s Defense Force, or PDF, and ethnic Karen fighters.
One PDF member was also killed, the NUG said and it warned civilians that more attacks were coming.
“The People’s Defense Force will be stepping up military operations, so the public is advised not to visit [junta] units or checkpoints,” it said.
The loss of territory in such a central area will be a set-back for the military which is also under major pressure in Rakhine state, in the west where ethnic Rakhine insurgents are closing in on a major hub for Chinese port and energy investments on the coast.
The military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has been pushed back in most parts of the country since late 2023 and is struggling to recruit soldiers to fill the ranks of the army.
The junta has not released any information on the fighting in Bago. RFA tried to telephone junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment but he did not answer.
Sagaing fighting
In the Sagaing region, to the north of Bago, pro-democracy fighters captured a broadcasting station for the military-owned MRTV on Wednesday, the NUG said, adding that 11 junta soldiers were killed in that attack. It did not release information on related casualties.
Joint PDF forces also briefly captured the key Bodhi Ta Htaung military camp near Sagaing’s capital Monywa on Wednesday, prompting the junta to drop bombs and fire artillery on several locations, rebel sources and residents told RFA. The junta response killed 10 civilians and drove out an estimated 6,000 residents, they said.
An official from the Chindwin Attack Force’s No.4 Battalion in Monywa district, which participated in the operation, said that his group had recovered the bodies of 11 junta soldiers who were killed in the fighting. Four defense force members were injured, although their conditions were not life-threatening.
“The military fired approximately 20 rounds using 105- and 122-mm artillery, and Mi-35s helicopters carried out two airstrikes,” said the official, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Despite capturing the camp, rebel forces only confiscated weapons and subsequently withdrew, leaving the site itself outside their control.
Sources from anti-junta groups said that on Thursday, junta troops arrested approximately 10 civilians to assist in the reconstruction of the Bodhi Ta Htaung camp. Additionally, they “forcibly enlisted” around 40 vendors selling goods along the Monywa-Mandalay highway “to clear landmines” before later releasing them, they said.
“They were ordered to clear landmines to allow a convoy of vehicles to pass from the [nearby] copper mines,” said a defense official in Monywa township, who also declined to be named. “The military took them hostage and forced them to clear the area using sticks, fearing for their own safety. They positioned themselves behind the civilians, using them as human shields.”
The junta’s ministry of defense confirmed that it responded to the Sagaing attacks with airstrikes and artillery support. No mention was made of the claims that civilians had been forced to rebuild the Bodhi Ta Htaung camp or clear landmines.
Earlier strikes kill 10 civilians
The fighting for control of the camp came a day after the military carried out aerial and artillery strikes on two villages in Chaung U township, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Bodhi Ta Htaung Pagoda, residents said.
The attack came despite the absence of active combat in the area, according to an official from Chaung U Revolution News, which reports on developments in the township. Ten civilians — including two 12-year-old girls — and one PDF member were killed in the strikes, the official said, while eight other civilians were injured.
“The assault was indiscriminate, with both airstrikes and heavy artillery bombardment devastating the area,” he said.
Attempts by RFA to contact the junta’s spokesperson for Sagaing region by telephone for comment went unanswered Thursday.
Political analyst Than Soe Naing said while the attacks in junta-dominated heartland areas this dry season were significant, it would take bigger battles and more time “to dismantle the junta.”
Translated by Kiana Duncan and Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes.
This story has been updated to include comments by rebel sources and residents of the Monywa area.