Tensions between Myanmar junta forces and revolutionary groups in Paukkhaung and Pantaung townships, Pyay District, Bago Region, have escalated, prompting resistance forces to warn local residents to remain alert for security risks.
The area is home to several military weapons factories.
The junta launched offensives in mid-February targeting villages in northwestern Paukkhaung Township. Clashes remain ongoing between the military and local defence forces as of 24 February.
“There are ongoing confrontations. The Military Council has not advanced but has been indiscriminately firing heavy weapons. No airstrikes have been conducted yet, but surveillance drones have arrived,” said an information officer from Pyay District People’s Defence Force (PDF) Battalion 3601.
The junta’s offensive operations are focused on villages including Ahine Sauk, Kyot Pin Wann, Thaik Chang, Natalin, and Tha Pham Kaine in Paukkhaung Township, leading to direct confrontations with resistance forces.
On the night of 19 February, the junta began dropping bombs using paramotors. The attack resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to two others, including a child, in Ahine Sauk village. More than 3,000 residents have reportedly fled their homes.
“Displaced people are hiding in forests on their own or seeking refuge with relatives in town. They are managing food and water supplies by themselves,” the PDF officer said.
Meanwhile, in Pantaung Township, located on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, Arakan Army (AA)-led resistance forces launched an assault on a military camp in Nyaung Kyoe village where junta forces have deployed heavy weaponry.
The attack on Nyaung Kyoe began on 18 February and the junta is reinforcing its troops daily from Pyay town, according to resistance sources in Pantaung.
Nyaung Kyoe village is located along the Taunggup-Pantaung road in the Rakhine Yoma region, about 15 miles from the No. 3 Weapons Factory.
The AA’s operations in Pantaung Township have been ongoing for over a month. The group previously captured the Moe Hte Taung military base along the Taunggup-Pantaung road.
Weapons Factories No. 3, No. 5, and No. 9 are based in Pantaung Township, while factory No. 19 is located in Paukkhaung Township. Resistance forces report that current fighting is occurring just a few miles away from these defence production sites.
On 20 February, the Pyay Township Basic Education Students’ Union issued a warning that hostilities were intensifying, and that the junta was stepping up violence against civilians, including using scorched-earth tactics.
Pyay District People’s Defence Force (PDF) Battalion No. 3601 also cautioned residents that the junta is using civilians as human shields and burning villages. The battalion urged people to remain vigilant, stockpile essential supplies such as food and medicine, and prepare for emergencies.
Additionally, the battalion advised civilians to identify safe locations in advance, dig bunkers to protect against aerial bombings, and take necessary precautions against potential airstrikes and paramotor bomb attacks by junta forces.
