Myanmar Junta Deploys 1,000 Reinforcements to Southern Chin State After Battlefield Losses

Burma News International (BNI) is a network of 15 independent media and news organizations based in and around Burma The Myanmar military regime is deploying nearly 1,000 reinforcement troops to southern Chin State following heavy casualties and tactical setbacks against resistance forces in Mindat and Kanpetlet towns, according to local sources and resistance fighters. On July 10, a military column of approximately 400 troops departed from the Weapons Factory 24 (Directorate of Defence Industry 24) in Magway Region’s Pauk Township. Advancing along the Pauk-Kyaukhtu Road, the convoy of five trucks reached Saw Township and is heading toward Artillery Battalion 368 in Kyaukhtu. Before their arrival, a separate 100-troop detachment from the same artillery battalion had been conducting reconnaissance between Pansan and Thayetchin villages. The advancing column clashed with a coalition of Chin resistance forces near Tapyin Village on July 12. Local sources reported fierce fighting that left an estimated 10 junta soldiers dead. The military is currently attempting to secure villages along the Pauk-Kyaukhtu route to secure the supply line. Concurrently, a second reinforcement column from the Meiktila-based Light Infantry Division 99 (LID 99) is advancing through western Magway Region via the Minbu-Gangaw and Sidoktaya-Laungshey roads. Elements of this force, comprising over 30 military vehicles carrying roughly 600 troops alongside weapons and ammunition, arrived at Weapons Factory 25 in Laungshey on July 13 en route to Saw Town. Military analysts suggest these reinforcements could allow the junta to expand operations across Mindat Township, potentially opening a new front from Baukte Village, northeast of Mindat Town. “The junta's main objective is to reinforce the Mindat-Kanpetlet frontline, relying on sheer numbers to push their offensive,” said Captain Zin Yaw, a former military officer who defected to the anti-regime Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). He noted that while the exact number of hardware remains unverified due to covered vehicles, the combined influx totals roughly 1,000 additional troops. Since mid-May, the junta has sustained an offensive in Mindat and Kanpetlet with an estimated 2,000 troops. They face a joint defense by the Chin People's Union/Chin People's Army (CPU/CPA) and allied resistance groups. The CPU/CPA stated that its coalition continues to employ an active defensive strategy, claiming the junta has suffered hundreds of casualties over the past six weeks of fighting.