On 4 April 1945 his division commander, Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan, ordered Dhillon to return from Khabok to Popa. By then, the 4th Guerrilla regiment had been in the area for over five weeks. Mount Popa and Kyaukpadaung was one pocket of resistance, which had so far defied all British attacks. Under constant raids by the INA, the British forces were forced to use longer routes that caused them loss of time, greater consumption of fuel, and frequent breakdowns of their vehicles.