Natchaung, dubbed 'Swamp of Death', faces troop shortage, with two divisions deployed to counter

MAGWAY REGION Reinforcement troops are insufficient for the Natchaung strategic base in the Padang Military Command, Ngape Town, Magway Region, which military personnel have named the 'Swamp of Death' or 'Living Graveyard'. To withdraw the 17th Special Operations Brigade stationed at Natchaung, which can no longer transition from defense to offense, the military brought in troops from the 10th Special Operations Brigade by military convoy on July 24. However, the Arakan Army (AA) attacked with heavy weapons and drones, forcing the military to call for air support. After the arrival of reinforcement convoys, a few troops from the 10th Special Operations Brigade, which had been withdrawn from Minepan and was part of the 17th Special Operations Brigade, departed towards Magway on July 27, passing through the Natchaung strategic base. "We initially thought it was a troop rotation. But now, another division has been sent in," said CDM Major Zin Yaw. Compared to the strength of the 17th Special Operations Brigade, which was first deployed to Natchaung in September last year, the forces that retreated in July have been depleted by about one-third. It is speculated that the remaining forces of the 17th Special Operations Brigade and the 10th Special Operations Brigade, based in Mawklaik and withdrawn from Nyaung Chaw, are planning to jointly launch an offensive along the Natchaung route to recapture the lost An We Township. To defend the Natchaung strategic base, the military had to deploy up to four divisions. The first, the 88th Division, was ordered to advance on An We but was forced to retreat from the Papadon Gate and was put on the defensive at Natchaung. Subsequently, over 1,500 troops from the 99th Division were sent in. When the 99th Division, which had been on the defensive for about eight months, was withdrawn, only 700 troops remained from Natchaung to the Padang intersection, and 300 troops from the Padang intersection to the Songkon artillery unit. It is reported that 500 were listed as dead or missing. The military convoy of 70 vehicles and fully staffed reinforcement vehicles brought in on July 24 and 25 belonged to the 10th Special Operations Brigade, which had retreated from Nyaung Chaw. This unit has also suffered casualties, including the death of its brigade commander in an AA attack. The military is defending Natchaung with thousands of troops, while the AA and revolutionary forces are in a position to intercept the approaching reinforcement columns. The military has also deployed artillery units within the Padang Military Command and is fiercely resisting. Now, to confront the AA, which has expanded its military control within Magway Region after the capture of An We Town, the military is deploying the 88th Division, the 99th Division, the 17th Special Operations Brigade based in Minepan, and the 10th Special Operations Brigade based in Mawklaik, solely along the Natchaung route. According to satellite imagery obtained from military observation groups, the Kalon Camp, which the military was defending to the death, has also collapsed and been destroyed.