The military junta has carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling after the Nganuthan Bridge in Ka Nyut Kwin town in Phyu Township, Bago Region, which is used by the junta as a logistics route, was blown up by an armed group with a mine on 1 May, according to ground sources.
The armed group mined the bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay highway, which was used to transport weapons and supplies for the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 439. In response, the junta troops based in Pein Za Loke shelled the eastern part of Ka Nyut Kwin with artillery and carried out airstrikes, a local said.
“It seems they fired at the group that retreated after sabotaging the bridge. The junta fired relentlessly with airplanes day and night yesterday (1 May). They didn’t just fly casually, they bombed around the area. They bombarded the eastern part of Ka Nyut Kwin with both airplanes and artillery,” the local said.
With the bridge destroyed, travelers had to detour via the Yangon-Mandalay highway. The Ka Nyut Kwin -Nyaung Pin Thar railroad was also attacked that day, causing a freight train to derail near the bridge, according to local sources.
“They attacked the logistics route. People have to use the highway now. The bridge is impassable. The military can build a temporary bridge to cross it. But at the moment, it is impossible to repair it,” said local who did not want to be named.
It is not known which armed group orchestrated the sabotage of the bridge. As for the damage caused by the junta’s airstrikes and shelling, further details are still being investigated by the relevant local authorities.
In its propaganda social media, the junta accused the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) of jointly blowing up the bridge and railroad, but did not mention its own airstrikes and artillery attacks.
Since the coup, key bridges along the junta’s supply routes in Nyaunglebin District, which falls under Karen National Union’s Brigade 3, have frequently been targeted by mine attacks.
Sent by KIC.