Remains of vehicles that were burned by regime forces in Bahin Village, Myaing Township, before they abandoned the police outpost on Monday. / Photo- CJ
Repeated attacks by local resistance groups drove regime forces to abandon another police outpost in Myaing Township, Magwe Region on Tuesday.
Junta troops and policemen retreated from the Bahin outpost after burning more than 130 of the 400 houses in the village on Monday. Most of the villagers had fled their homes months ago following clashes between local resistance forces and junta personnel at the outpost.
A detachment of 100 troops from Myaing town had travelled the 13 miles to Bahin Village on Sunday, according to local news sites and the Myaing-People’s Defense Force.
On Tuesday morning, the military detachment departed from the village along with 50 regime police, their family members and some civilian detainees, Ko Latyar, a Myaing-PDF commander, told the Irrawaddy.
“The police station was being attacked frequently by local PDF groups. And the regime couldn’t provide it with reinforcements and other support as it is in a remote area. So, they finally abandoned the outpost,” the Myaing-PDF commander said.
Local resistance forces seized the outpost on Tuesday and arrested an incapacitated policeman who had been left behind by departing regime forces.
On Nov. 11, several policemen were killed or injured when the sentry box of the police outpost was bombed by the resistance group.
The retreat from Bahin comes just weeks after junta forces destroyed and abandoned a police outpost in Thayatkan Village in nearby Pauk Township, Magwe Region, on Sept 28.
The destroyed outpost was only 3 miles west of the Bahin police station, said Myaing-PDF.
Junta forces facing daily attacks by PDFs and ethnic armed organizations are suffering escalating losses at military bases and security outposts across the country.
