Resistance Forces Capture Junta Outpost Near Naypyidaw — Major and 9 Soldiers Killed in Lewe Township

In the early morning of April 22, 2026, resistance forces attacked and seized a junta military outpost established inside the Aung Chan Thar Yar Thit monastery compound in Lewe Township, Naypyidaw Union Territory — approximately 45 kilometers southeast of the SAC's administrative capital. The assault killed 10 junta soldiers including Major Htun Htun Lin, and resistance fighters seized four firearms along with ammunition before withdrawing. Lewe Township borders Naypyidaw directly, making this among the closest successful resistance operations to the junta capital since the 2021 coup. The SAC's use of a monastery compound as a military position — a documented pattern across Myanmar — drew condemnation from Buddhist civil society. The operation demonstrates that PDF and resistance-affiliated units maintain operational capability in the Naypyidaw administrative belt, where the junta concentrates its most loyal security forces. Losing a major and nine soldiers in a single engagement near the capital constitutes both a tactical and symbolic blow to the SAC's claim to control its own heartland, coming just 12 days after Min Aung Hlaing's April 10 'civilian presidency' inauguration.