Military Council Launches Airstrikes After Suffering Casualties in Sagaing Region

Kachin resistance fighters killed several soldiers from the Military Council and seized military equipment after ambushing a column of 80 soldiers near a village in Htigyaing Township in northern Burma on 20 August.

“It was an intense battle that started around 8:45 am and lasted until 6 pm. As the Burma army column was traveling from Zee Kon to Kwin Gyi, our troops ambushed them. We captured the bodies of three Burma army soldiers, along with ten backpacks and two assault rifles,” said an officer from the Htigyaing People’s Defence Force (PDF), who spoke to KNG on condition of anonymity.

The Military Council quickly scrambled four fighter jets from Myitkyina to bomb the areas in Sagaing Division where the fighting was happening. The airstrikes occurred at 11 am, 2:15 pm, and 2:22 pm, as the officer explained. He noted that two of the warplanes dropped 500 and 1000 pound bombs during the airstrikes.

Locals reported the bombs landing between Zee Kon and Kwin Gyi, but fortunately, no civilian casualties have been reported as of press time.

After the ambush, the Burmese army column retreated to Zee Kon, where the soldiers remain to this day.