About 60 junta soldiers raided a guerrilla forces camp that served as a weapon manufacturing workshop and arsenal in Sagaing Region’s Monywa Township at about 5:30 a.m. on 17 September.

Two guerrilla fighters were killed in the attack on the camp in Nyaungpin village in Monywa Township, according to a statement by the Monywa Fighter Group.

It said that equipment to produce weapons was destroyed. The junta troops also seized various types of gunpowder, a long-range free flight rocket, mines, 40mm mortar shells, grenade launchers, various types of magazines, ammunition and other military equipment, all with a total value of 17 million kyats (approx $9,000 USD).

The weapon manufacturing workshop and camp were run by the Monywa Fighter Group and the Ponnaka Guerilla Force.

Captain Zarni, a team leader from Monywa Fighter Group said: “One of our platoons went to fight in Tawpu Village where Pyu Saw Htee members were stationed and another platoon went to Kanni Town in Sagaing Region to launch attacks on [junta troops using] the river. They left a few weeks ago, so we only had a few members left at the camp. The junta raided our camp because they had received information from informants, but despite this, most of our fighters managed to escape. Unfortunately, two [of our] fighters died in the junta’s surprise attack.”

He added that the local defence forces were able to retrieve the bodies of the two fallen soldiers and give them a proper burial.