Myanmar junta forces respond to ‘Sittaung River Valley Victory Operation’ with intensified arson and low-altitude air attacks in Phyu Township

Mizzima

A joint force of military junta troops, including the Southern Command, Light Infantry Division (LID) 77, and Military Operations Command 6, has launched a wide-scale scorched-earth campaign across the west bank of the Sittaung River, torching homes in Ywa Thit, Kyein Kha Kone, and Mau Bin villages.

The offensive, which began on 11 January, has displaced an estimated tens of thousands of civilians from at least 12 villages, including Nat Laung, Kanyin Chaung, and Nga To Khin, as residents flee into open fields and wooded areas to escape near-daily bombardments.

“The number of people fleeing the fighting is likely in the tens of thousands, though the exact figure is unknown,” a resistance military source said, adding that those assisting IDPs can only help nearby residents as people flee in groups into fields outside the village.

No local residents were reported killed in the arson attacks, but numerous homes were destroyed.

The column has forced residents to flee from Kyein Kha Kone, Thanee Kaung, In Kone, Mau Pin, Nat Laung, Thaphan Pin, Thayet Oak, Kanyin Chaung, Ywa Thit, Hle Done, Za Lote and Nga To Khin villages.

Resistance military sources report that the junta has integrated unconventional low-altitude tactics into their assault, deploying gyrocopters and paramotors alongside Mi-35 helicopters and jet fighters from the Taungoo airbase.

In addition to these air strikes, Light Infantry Battalion 439 and Infantry Battalion 307 are reportedly using 122mm howitzers and 120mm mortars to target areas around Nat Than Kwin and Kanyutkwin, while kamikaze drones are being used extensively to strike resistance-held pockets.

This surge in violence is part of a desperate push by the military to regain territory following the “Sittaung River Valley Victory Operation” launched by joint resistance forces earlier this month, which shifted frontline positions across 26 townships in Bago Region and resulted in the reported deaths of over 50 junta soldiers.