By Hsu Yee | MPA
Bago, Myanmar — A Myanmar military column has been effectively dismantled during a fierce pre-dawn ambush in the Bago Region, with resistance forces claiming to have killed approximately 20 soldiers, including a Major, and seizing a significant cache of heavy weaponry.
The clash occurred early Monday (January 12) near Penwegon in Kyauktaga Township, a strategic area along the old Yangon-Mandalay highway.
According to the Bago District Battalion 3702, the fighting broke out around 01:30 local time when joint resistance forces intercepted a junta column of approximately 100 troops advancing into Kyein Kha Kone village.
“The column was completely broken,” an official from Battalion 3702 told MPA. “They were forced to retreat in chaos back towards Penwegon. We have already buried the bodies of their fallen soldiers left behind in Kyein Kha Kone.”
The official explained that the junta’s offensive was a direct response to recent resistance gains in the area, specifically the temporary seizure of Taw Kywe Inn town on January 9. “They were under pressure from above to clear the highway after our ‘Aung Myin’ operation,” the source added.
Resistance forces displayed a substantial haul of captured equipment, indicating the severity of the military’s loss. The inventory includes:
Three 60mm mortars (one long-barrel, two short-barrel)
One RPG launcher and multiple rounds
14 assault rifles (MA1, MA2, MA3, and MA11 models)
Communication equipment and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.While the resistance claimed victory, they acknowledged their own losses, confirming that two PDF comrades were killed and three others sustained minor injuries during the firefight.
The military responded with airstrikes later in the morning, but no further ground offensives were reported as of Monday evening. “The situation remains tense,” the resistance official noted.
This engagement involved a coalition of resistance units, including the 3702 Battalion, the Special Commando Battalion (P-29914), the Fire Dragon Battalion (3703), and the Royal Peacock Battalion (P-29913), operating under the Bago Region Military Command.
MPA could not independently verify the casualty figures reported by the resistance forces.
