According to the reports on Monday (30 September), Pro-democracy insurgents in Myanmar launched a rocket attack on the Central Military Headquarters in Mandalay, according to the activist group Brave Warriors for Myanmar (BWM). The attack carried out with 107 mm rockets, targeted a building where junta troops were staying, and some were believed to have been wounded. The extent of the damage and casualties is still being investigated, and the insurgents involved successfully escaped.
The military junta has not confirmed the attack, and efforts to reach the junta spokesman in Mandalay have gone unanswered. The headquarters is historically significant, on the site of the former walled palace of Myanmar’s kings, and is a symbolically important place for the nation. A resident reported hearing loud explosions in the early hours of Sunday (29 September).
Myanmar’s military has been facing increasing resistance from ethnic minority insurgents and new pro-democracy People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) across the country. Despite suffering setbacks, such as the loss of regional command centers and a naval base, the junta still controls major cities and possesses the ability to conduct devastating airstrikes. However, the insurgents have gained ground in some areas.
BWM, alongside its allies like the Shadow Mandalay Group, has previously carried out similar attacks, including on this same military base. They also assisted in an earlier attack on an air base in Naypyidaw. Anti-junta forces have captured several towns in the Mandalay region, and their presence threatens strategic military locations, including the Defense Services Academy in Pyin Oo Lwin.
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