The junta air force launched an airstrike with six fighter jets onto the people’s defence forces (PDF) training ground of the Wild Elephant guerrilla force in Sagaing Region on 17 October.

The attack was on the Wild Elephant’s Thabeikkyin outpost close to Phayar Lay Kone and Ngar Pat Chaung villages in the eastern part of Wetlet township, in Shwebo District.

Following a one-hour airstrike, during which hundreds of rounds were fired at the outpost, it was attacked by 80 junta soldiers who overran the outpost and set fire to it.

According to a statement by the Wild Elephants, their Thabeikkyin outpost was destroyed and they lost more than 10 million kyats worth of ammunition, equipment and food.

Among the things lost by the Wild Elephants were a half-bag of Pale gunpowder, 150 grenades, one 60-mm mortar, twelve 60-mm mortar rounds, 24 landmines, 10 barrels of diesel, five bags of rice, two buckets of cooking oil, one roll of 100-yard waterproof plastic and one solar panel.

Fortunately, even though ammunition, equipment and food were lost, all the resistance fighters were able to retreat without suffering casualties.

Previously, on 8 October, at least 11 civilians, including nine PDF fighters, were killed in another airstrike on the eastern part of Wetlet Township, according to the Wild Elephant Force.