A military junta column advancing from Mindon to Minhla Township was heavily routed in a series of coordinated resistance ambushes, suffering over 20 fatalities and the complete disarray of its formation.
The initial column of roughly 100 regime troops departed Mindon on August 20, marching along the Pathein-Monywa Road. Between August 20 and 23, fighters from the United States of Burma Army (USBA) ambushed the advancing troops, killing over 20 soldiers, wounding nearly 30, and ultimately shattering the column.
Relying on heavy artillery, air support, and drone strikes, the surviving junta forces retreated in disarray to the Kyauktaing military outpost in Mindon Township, completely abandoning their objective of reaching the Shante Police Station in Minhla.
During the clashes, the USBA seized a military truck, a power generator, and ammunition.
"The junta column left Mindon and advanced along the Pathein-Monywa Road toward Shante Police Station," said USBA spokesperson Ko Thar Cho. "We ambushed the column, and there were a series of clashes. It eventually collapsed, and its troops used artillery support to retreat to Kyauktaing camp."
On August 24, the regime deployed a larger reinforcement force of approximately 200 troops to resume the push, sparking fresh engagements.
Backed by indiscriminate artillery shelling that injured a Buddhist nun in Mindon Township's Uyinpu Village and prompted widespread looting of abandoned homes, the reinforced column eventually reached the strategically important Shante police outpost—situated roughly eight miles from Kyauktaing near the border of Magway Region and Arakan State—on the evening of August 26.
Residents remain on high alert, preparing for potential evacuations should the garrison launch further offensives.
The clashes follow a string of recent engagements in the region, including mid-August ambushes by the USBA against troops moving from Thayet Township’s Weapons Factory 12 toward Mindon, which left seven soldiers dead and sparked retaliatory arson attacks on village homes.
In response to ongoing volatility, the USBA has urged civilians traveling along the Pathein-Monywa Highway to exercise extreme caution amid unpredictable regime movements.
