Prominent Defector Among 6 Killed as Regime Bombs NUG Regional HQ
Myanmar regime aircraft bombed the National Unity Government (NUG)’s Special Region Command headquarters on the border of Mon State’s Kyaikto and Bago Region’s Shwekyin on Thursday, killing six people including resistance fighters and a military defector.
The Special Region Command, which conducts military operations across the NUG’s Southern Region, was bombed by the regime on Thursday afternoon.
“The regime dropped six bombs on the headquarters and shelled it continuously with heavy artillery,” a source close to resistance forces told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
The air raid killed Nay Win Aung, a former sergeant who defected from the Myanmar Air Force, alongside five resistance fighters.
Nay Win Aung monitored Myanmar’s civil war and was frequently quoted by media outlets as a military analyst. Activists expressed deep condolences over Nay Win Aung’s death on social media.
Aung San Shar, head of the NUG’s Special Region Command, and three resistance fighters were injured, a source said.
After the initial strike, the regime continued to bomb the site and nearby areas using Chinese-made Y-12 utility aircraft, modified to drop bombs. Additionally, the regime’s Artillery Battalion 310 based in Theinzayat, Kyaikto Township, conducted sustained shelling.
The regime strike came just over a week into a fundraising campaign for the Special Region Command, which was launched on September 16 and is set to run through October 30.
A debate sprung up on social media over whether news outlets should report on the incident, out of concern that it could lead the regime to target the headquarters again.
Asked how the Myanmar military identified the command’s location, NUG Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Kyaw Ni said there were many possibilities. “During wartime, both sides use every possible means to gather intelligence on each other,” he told The Irrawaddy.
Neither the NUG nor the Special Region Command have released official statements on the incident.
The Irrawaddy contacted NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt for details, but did not receive a response.
The regime has also not released a statement on the strike, but regime-backed pro-military Telegram channels reported that the military used five fighter jets to bomb the area.
Established on May 28, 2025, the NUG’s Special Region Command comprises 25 battalions: 12 directly under its command and 13 operating under its coordination, including local resistance and drone forces.
The fundraiser described it as a strategic command that conducts military operations across Karen State, Mon State, Bago Region, Yangon Region and southern Myanmar.
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