By Hlaing / MPA
Myanmar junta forces stationed in Kyaukhtu Town, Saw Township, Magway Region’s Gangaw District, have been carrying out near-daily artillery attacks on villages around Saw, Kyaukhtu, and Mindat Towns, instilling widespread fear among local residents.
The Chin Brotherhood resistance forces and its allies have launched an offensive to capture Mindat since Nov 9, 2024. To defend the town, the junta has responded by ramping up airstrikes, drones, and heavy artillery. They have also bombed non-combat areas indiscriminately, which has further alarmed locals.
Additionally, the junta’s Kyaukhtu-based No. 368 Artillery Battalion, located 18 miles from Mindat, has been deliberately shelling villages in Kyaukhtu Sub Township— Pan San, Tha Yet Chin, Kyan Taw, Kan Gyi, Yint Ye— and in Saw Township— Let Pan and Kan Oe— on daily basis.
A local man from Let Pan Village in Saw Township told MPA,“As fighting intensifies in Mindat, junta troops stationed in Kyaukhtu have also been firing shells at nearby villages. Despite the separation by Hkamto Mountain, their shells have struck Let Pan Village and the surrounding areas directly. Three people have already been killed in previous attacks, and just yesterday, villagers from Kan Oe and Let Pan fled here due to the continued shelling from Kyaukhtu.”
In addition to artillery fire, junta forces from Meiktila (Shan Hte), Tada-U, and Magway airbases have been employing airstrikes over Mindat, dropping bombs and airlifting supplies and ammunition to ground forces.
A 55-year-old woman from Kan Oe Village explained,“We can hear the fighting in Mindat clearly from the farm. During intense battles, the booming sounds are relentless, making it feel like the heavy artillery is just a short distance away. Children cry every time planes fly overhead.”
The Kyaukhtu-based No. 368 Artillery Battalion and Laung Shey-based Ordnance Factory are separately located in Saw Township, prompting the resistance forces to gain control of Kyaukhtu-Saw-Laung Shey Road.
Locals noted that while the ground assaults in the region have declined in 2024, the junta has significantly escalated its airstrike campaigns after appointing a new commander.
Saw Township, located close to Chin State’s Mindat, is one of the first areas in the Magway Region to resist the junta militarily and remains a stronghold for the resistance forces.
The military launched an aerial raid on Ah Kyi Pan Pa Lunin Village in Kyaukhtu, Saw Township, on May 9, 2024, claiming the lives of 16 civilians and injuring 33 others.
