Since October 2021, security forces in northwestern Myanmar have neutralized a large number of multiple IED scenes, planted mainly on roadsides and on roads by militants from various anti-regime groups, identified with the People’s Defense Force Coalition. The IED scenes, characterized by numerous IEDs placed close to each other, sometimes included the use of firing platforms as part of a complex attack TTP. In some cases, the IEDs were configured in daisy-chained arrays, connected with electric wire or detonating cord, and were intended for simultaneous initiation; in other cases, the IEDs were initiated in series, in a manner apparently intended to increase the chances of damage to military vehicle convoys. Initiation systems in such arenas are remotely-controlled and a prominent feature of some of the IED arenas was the use of initiation systems based on pulling a mechanical or electric system, including a clothespin, from afar, providing control over the timely initiation of the IEDs from a safe distance in a manner simple to perform. The characteristics of the recently documented arenas indicate the increasing level of complexity and tactical sophistication in the planning of attacks in the northwest of the country, representing another step in the rapid development of the capabilities of PDF militants in recent months.
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