A junta flotilla navigating upstream along the Ayeyarwady River reached Shwegu Township in Kachin State and was attacked by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied resistance groups, triggering clashes.

The flotilla arrived and anchored near Shwegu Town, the seat of Shwegu Township, on the evening of July 26. On July 27, it was attacked by the KIA-led coalition.

Out of a flotilla of around 20 vessels that departed from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, a total of 12 vessels successfully reached Shwegu Town. As of July 29, they remained anchored near the town.

On July 27, some junta troops from the flotilla were patrolling villages around Shwegu Town, while several vessels showed signs of moving further upstream, prompting clashes with the KIA, a resistance frontline source said.

“There were some skirmishes after junta troops started patrolling areas around Shwegu Town. Fighting also broke out between KIA-led forces and the junta near Ngarbatwa Village, which is close to the town,” he told NMG.

The junta column, about 40 troops strong and moving from the flotilla into surrounding villages, triggered clashes not only in Ngarbatwa but also in the nearby villages of Kanyaelei and Moesit.

During its journey, the flotilla briefly stopped in Katha Town in Sagaing Region before continuing on to Shwegu. It was ambushed by resistance forces in Moetarlay Village, Katha Township, resulting in significant damage to a small vessel.

Additionally, during the flotilla’s upstream journey, two civilians were killed when junta forces shelled riverside communities between Katha and Shwegu townships with artillery and dropped bombs from aircraft providing air support.

“The flotilla was ambushed just north of Moetarlay Village after leaving Katha Town, and one of the vessels was badly damaged. But despite that, it managed to continue on to Shwegu. The junta used Y12 utility aircraft and fighter jets to bomb villages along the river, which led to casualties. Some villages in Shwegu Township were also hit and suffered losses,” the aforementioned source said.

The deceased were a man from Myaynu Village in Katha Township and another from Bokone Village in Shwegu Township. A monastery, a stupa in its yard, and several Buddha images were also destroyed by the junta’s bombings.

On July 17, the day the junta flotilla began its journey, the junta launched airstrikes on three villages in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, as a preemptive strike to eliminate potential threats along the route, killing 22 civilians.

The flotilla began its journey with around 20 vessels, including five warships, but only 12 made it to Shwegu Town. Along the way, it faced multiple ambushes by resistance forces. On July 19, while passing near the towns of Singu, Madaya, and Thabeikkyin in Mandalay Region, it came under heavy attack, resulting in the sinking of a tugboat and several other vessels catching fire.