By Hlaing / MPA
The military junta has launched airstrikes on routes commonly used by resistance forces in Myingyan District’s Natogyi Township, Mandalay Region, displacing local residents and escalating tensions in the area.
The junta has launched airstrikes since late December 2024, targeting roads connecting villages such as Ywar Gyi, Ywar Thit, Kan Hnaung, Lone Taw, and Tha Man Taw in Natogyi Township. These bombings have reportedly disrupted resistance movements and caused significant civilian displacement.
A resident of Kan Hnaung Village told MPA, “Our village has been divided between pro-junta and pro-democracy supporters since the election period. When villagers saw People’s Defense Force (PDF) members on the roads near the western part of the village, they informed the military. The military responded with airstrikes, killing one person and leaving another critically injured, now receiving treatment at Mandalay General Hospital.”
Displaced residents have sought refuge in the homes of relatives and religious shelters in nearby towns, including Myingyan, Taungtha, Meiktila, Bagan, Kyaukpadaung, Popa, and Mandalay.
“I daren’t live in Natogyi anymore,” said a 60-year-old displaced man. “I’m elderly and ill, so I had no choice but to stay in Myingyan for treatment. At my age, I can’t keep moving around quickly either.”
According to a 40-year-old local man, the junta’s airstrikes are reportedly in retaliation for increased PDF activity, including landmine explosions, drone bombings, and assaults on junta forces in Pyin Si Village along the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway and Natogyi-Myingyan Road.
“The expressway is on the eastern side of Natogyi. The military believes PDFs are active in eastern villages and targets them, while also bombing western villages closer to Myingyan,” he said. “On Dec.26, they dropped a 500-pound bomb near Myaing Thar Village.”
In response, the Natogyi PDF announced on Dec.24, 2024, that all roads connecting Natogyi to Myingyan, Myo Thar, Pyin Si, Taungtha, Tada-U, and Mahlaing would be restricted between 8 p.m. and 6 am.
Despite being just 20 miles from Myingyan, a junta stronghold and a base for the Thida Yu Mon-led Pyu Saw Htee militia, Natogyi Township remains a vital hub for local resistance forces.
Fierce clashes erupted between junta troops and local resistance forces across Natogyi, Myingyan, and Taungtha Townships during the Myingyan District Special Operation (MDSO) in August 2024.
