Myanmar Resistance Claims to Kill Around 80 Junta Troops
Around 80 junta soldiers were reportedly killed during attacks by civilian resistance forces in Magwe, Sagaing, Mandalay and Yangon regions and Chin and Kayah states on Thursday.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify any of the reports.
On Thursday afternoon, two civilian resistance groups from Kani and Mingin townships ambushed a military convoy, which included motorbikes, on the Monywa-Kalewa highway in Mingin, Sagaing Region, using mines, according to the Kani People’s Defense Forces (PDF).
Seven motorbikes and two other military vehicles were damaged, leaving more than 30 regime troops dead, the group claimed.
On Friday morning, Mingin PDF said it attacked 11 ships, including military gunboats, carrying jade from Kachin State to Monywa on the Chindwin river.
The military casualties are unknown, the PDF said.
The Democratic Guerrilla Force in Sagaing Region claimed to have killed 10 junta troops, including an army captain, during an ambush on a military convoy in Yinmabin Township on Thursday morning.
Seven combined civilian resistance forces used 11 mines and said two military trucks were damaged.
Triple Two, a civilian resistance force, claimed to have used 30 mines on a bus carrying regime troops in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday morning in response to the junta’s alleged atrocity where 10 villagers were burned alive in Don Taw village, Salingyi Township, this week.
The group told the media that the bus was carrying troops responsible for burning the villagers alive.
It said more than 10 troops were killed in the attack.
A video from the group shows a bus amid explosions.
Pale PDF said it ambushed junta police in a civilian vehicle in Pale Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday using two homemade, remote-controlled mines. The casualties are unknown, it said.
The resistance group said around 20 junta reinforcements arrived and opened fire at random.
The People’s Revolution Army claimed to have killed six regime troops when it attacked a foot patrol in Myaing Township, Magwe Region, using six mines on Thursday afternoon.
After the attack, villages fled their homes to avoid a possible junta raid in revenge.
On Thursday, two attacks were reported in Mandalay Region.
Two resistance groups used a grenade to attack regime forces at a ward administration office in Aungmyaythazan Township, Mandalay Region, on Thursday afternoon.
Three regime troops and a junta-appointed ward administrator were reportedly killed and two pedestrians suffered minor injuries in the blast, said Mandalay Phoenix Force, which claimed responsibility.
Three junta police were killed in an ambush by five resistance groups on three motorbikes and another vehicle in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, on Thursday morning, said 27 Revolution Force, one of the groups which claimed responsibility.
A junta policeman was killed and two others wounded when an unknown group bombed South Okkalapa police station in Yangon on Thursday evening, according to media reports.
The Chin Defense Force in Kanpetlet said seven junta soldiers were killed and six others wounded during three hours of fighting with regime forces in Kanpetlet Township, Chin State, on Thursday morning.
Although regime forces used artillery, the resistance fighters escaped without casualties, the group said.
The people’s administration in Kanpetlet said regime forces burned seven houses and crops and stole two motorbikes in a village after the clash.
On Thursday evening, Demoso PDF said it attacked sentries at Battalion 427 in Demoso Township, Kayah State.
During 45 minutes of fighting, seven junta soldiers were killed and 10 others wounded with the PDF claiming it suffered no casualties.
During the firefight, a house in Nyaungkon village in the township was damaged by a 120mm artillery shell fired from Loikaw, the state capital.
Junta forces are facing attacks from PDFs and many ethnic armed groups across the country.
The regime’s atrocities continue, including arbitrarily killing civilians, burning people alive, using civilian detainees as human shields, bombarding residential areas, looting and burning houses and committing acts of sexual violence, especially in Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin, Shan, and Kayah states.
By Thursday, the regime forces had killed an estimated 1,323 civilians and detained 10,815 people, including elected government leaders, since the Feb. 1 coup, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners that records deaths and arrests.
