At least nine regime troops were killed on Saturday during a coordinated People’s Defence Force (PDF) attack on a strategic military checkpoint along the Naypyidaw–Magway highway in Magway Region’s Myothit Township.
The assault targeted the Shwepan checkpoint, a crucial security post guarding the northwestern approaches to Myanmar’s military-controlled administrative capital, Naypyidaw.
Myothit is located 35 to 68 miles (56 to 109 km) east of the region’s capital, Magway.
Assault on the Shwepan checkpoint
A PDF representative operating under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG) confirmed the details of the engagement:
- Force Deployment: Approximately 30 regime personnel, including armed police officers, were stationed at the Shwepan post at the time of the attack.
- Casualties: Nine regime troops were killed, while 21 escaped the position. No casualties were sustained by the attacking resistance fighters.
- Security Lockdown: Following the engagement, regime forces tightened security, established extra road blockades, and intensified troop presence across Myothit Township.
Escalating battles across Magway Region
While the regime maintains administrative control over major urban centers in Magway Region, PDF-led resistance forces and allied local militias continue to contest rural corridors, triggering an aggressive military counteroffensive launched earlier this year.
Magway Region Conflict Snapshot
├── Myothit Township: PDF attacks Shwepan checkpoint on Naypyidaw highway; 9 regime troops killed
├── Pauk & Myaing Townships: Regime counteroffensive destroys 50+ homes; 4 civilians killed (July 13–15)
├── Myaing Township: 20 civilians killed in July; 20 PDF members killed defending Chin State access (July 10)
├── Chauk Township: Actively contested zone between regime & resistance forces
└── Kokkosu Village: 3-day battle ends June 4 with 70 pro-regime militia members captured
Rising civilian toll in resistance strongholds
The assault near Naypyidaw follows a period of heavy clashes and severe civilian impact across northern Magway Region:
- Pauk & Myaing counteroffensive: Between July 13-15, a military offensive targeting six villages across Pauk and Myaing townships left at least four civilians dead and 50 homes destroyed, according to local aid workers.
- Myaing Fatalities: PDF sources report that at least 20 civilians have been killed in Myaing Township alone this month. On July 10, 20 PDF fighters were killed in Myaing while attempting to halt a military column advancing toward neighbouring Chin State, where regime forces initiated a major offensive in April.
- Clashes in Chauk & Kokkosu: Heavy fighting persists in Chauk Township (71 miles north of Magway). Further south, a three-day battle over Kokkosu village ended on June 4 with resistance forces detaining 70 pro-regime militia members.
