In Khampat Town, Tamu District, Sagaing Region, over 3,000 residents in the vicinity of Khampat have been displaced due to continuous heavy fighting between the Military Council troops and the People's Defense Force (PDF) spanning five consecutive days.
On July 22, at 8:00 PM, the People's Defense Force (PDF) launched an attack on the Military Council camp in Khampat No. 1 Ward. The two sides engaged in intense fighting for over an hour, and the military situation has remained tense since then.
As a result of the fighting, all residents of Khampat town and a majority of the residents of Kanan village have fled to neighboring wards such as Myanandar, Hngetpyawtaw, Letpanchaung, and Tarhan for safety, according to a resident.
"At approximately 11 am on Sunday morning, two cars arrived to evacuate the elderly and bedridden individuals in the town who were sick, and they were taken to a safe location. Since Sunday, we have been avoiding the conflict, and up until yesterday, there is no one left in the town except for genuine volunteers," shared a resident from Khampat.
On the morning of July 26, the Military Council conducted airstrikes in and around Khampat town, lasting approximately 45 minutes. A local resident reported, “ "Airstrikes were conducted in Khampat No. 1 Ward,
targeting the local defense camp and Kanan village. Houses in No. 1 Ward were also fired upon. Helicopters made 10 flights overhead and carried out indiscriminate firing.”
The extent of the damage caused by the Military Council's indiscriminate firing of artillery shells and small arms remains unknown. Yesterday, the fighting persisted, and the People's Defense Forces intercepted the Military Council troops, who were reinforced by the air force, resulting in the death of 13 soldiers from the Military Council and 1 comrade from the PDF-Tamu. However, Khonumthung is still seeking independent confirmation of these events.
On July 23, during a battle near the farm in Khampat town, two Military Council soldiers were killed, and the remaining bullets were seized by PDF-Tamu while clearing the area.
During these clashes, the Military Council fired artillery shells indiscriminately, and one of the shells exploded in front of the Roman Catholic church in Ward No. 1 of Khampat town, resulting in the death of a 23-year-old local man.
There is high military tension in Khampat town due to the ongoing conflict between the Military Council troops and the local defense forces, and residents and PDF-Tamu officials believe that the fighting may continue to escalate further.
