At least 65 Myanmar junta forces were killed in the last four days as People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) escalated their attacks on regime targets across the country.
In one case, a 65-year-old resistance fighter was killed during a clash with regime forces in Tanintharyi Region.
Incidents were reported in Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions.
The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from the PDFs.
Some military casualties could not be independently verified.
Junta motorboat destroyed in Sagaing
A military motorboat comes under attack from several PDF groups in Monywa on Tuesday. / Yinmabin District PDF Battalion 16
Local resistance group Salingyi G-Z PDF claimed to have destroyed a junta motorboat in a joint operation with nine other PDF groups in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region on Tuesday.
The motorboat carrying around 50 regime forces faced two attacks by the combined PDF groups, once while it was traveling downstream and once as it headed upstream along the Chindwin River between a village and the military’s North West Command headquarters in Monywa.
The PDF groups claimed they used both firearms and heavy explosives to attack the regime boat.
Many soldiers are believed to have been killed or injured, the PDF groups said.
A PDF video shows a motorboat being targeted by the resistance groups.
More than 20 regime forces killed in Sagaing
Over 20 regime forces including an army captain and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed in Myaung Township, Sagaing Region in three days when several PDF groups jointly attacked 120 regime forces raiding Pan Nyo Village, PDF group Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung (CDSOM), which took part in the attack, claimed on Tuesday.
The groups started attacking the regime forces while they were arriving at Pan Nyo Village on motorboats via the Irrawaddy River on Saturday.
The clash, which included the use of heavy explosives, continued on Sunday between the combined PDF groups and the regime forces, which were occupying Pan Nyo Village.
On Monday, the resistance groups raided the regime forces in the village as they were looting and burning houses. The attack forced the regime forces to flee the village without their loot, the resistance groups said.
Around 180 out of more than 800 houses in the village were burned down in the junta arson attacks.
Three regime forces killed in urban operations in Sagaing
At least three regime soldiers were killed in the town of Kale in Sagaing Region on Monday when PDF-Kalay used mines to ambush junta forces patrolling in Tarhan ward, said the PDF group.
After being mined, the regime forces randomly opened fire. On the same morning, the PDF group also attacked a junta sentry box in the residential ward. Some regime forces are believed to have been killed or injured in the raid.
A civilian was killed when the regime forces randomly opened fire.
Four regime forces killed in PDF raid in Sagaing
Four regime forces were killed and two others injured in Pale Township, Sagaing Region early Monday when around 20 PDF groups raided the junta-run township General Administration Department office, said M7 People’s Defense Army, which took part in the raid.
During the raid, resistance forces also shelled the township police station.
Fifteen regime forces killed in mine ambushes in Sagaing
A military truck is targeted in a mine ambush in Myinmu Township on Sunday. / People’s Army to Fight Dictatorship
At least 15 regime forces were killed and 10 injured in Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday when six PDF groups used improvised mines to ambush two military armored vehicles on the Monywa-Sagaing Highway, said Black Eagle Defense Force-MMU, which joined the attack.
First, PDF groups used a cluster of three mines to ambush the two military vehicles near Wan Pyae Village while they were traveling from Sagaing to Monywa at 6:30 a.m. on that morning.
Later that morning, the PDF group used a cluster of 11 mines to ambush one of the military vehicles while it was returning to Wan Pyae Village. The vehicle was damaged and forced to stop at the ambush site, the PDF group said.
All PDF fighters escaped from the area without any casualties despite some regime forces from the vehicle randomly opening fire.
Five regime forces killed in PDF mine attacks in Sagaing
At least five regime troops were killed in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday when PDF-South Monywa and Soldier Dogs Killer Hunters group jointly used land mines to ambush an express vehicle and a small vehicle carrying regime troops from Mandalay to Monywa.
The PDF groups ambushed the junta vehicles from two locations on the Monywa-Mandalay Highway.
In the second attack, the express vehicle stopped and regime forces from the vehicle randomly opened fire on nearby areas.
Family of eight resistance informants rescued in Sagaing
Resistance forces ambush regime forces chasing a family of eight resistance informants in Shwebo Township on Sunday. / Snake Eyes-PDF
Local resistance group Snake Eyes-PDF claimed it and other PDF forces managed to rescue a family of eight resistance informants from the village of The Lone in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday.
The village is under the control of regime forces and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members. The family of resistance informants were providing information to resistance groups about the movement of regime forces and junta atrocities in the village.
The PDF group also said two pro-regime militia members were injured when they attacked regime forces chasing the fleeing eight villagers.
Nine regime forces killed in Magwe
At least nine regime forces including pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members are believed to have been killed when two PDF groups used 12 improvised mines to ambush a military vehicle between the pro-regime villages of Twinma and Thayatkan in Myaing Township, Magwe Region on Monday.
The damaged vehicle was taken away by another military vehicle.
On Saturday, the PDF groups also used mines to ambush pro-regime military members from Twinma who were firing weapons while patrolling around the village. In the attack, a militia member and another junta policeman were injured, the PDF groups said.
Six junta forces killed in mine ambush in Mandalay
Military vehicles face several blasts from PDF mines in Myingyan Township on Tuesday. / Nagarni Guerrilla Force (Myingyan)
At least six regime forces were killed and seven others injured in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region on Tuesday when the PDF group Nagarni Guerrilla Force (Myingyan) used 15 improvised mines to ambush three military vehicles near the Myotha industrial zone, the resistance group claimed.
The military convoy was ambushed while it was traveling to a junta-run school in a village to perform security duty for a student festival.
A PDF video shows the convoy being hit by several blasts. After the ambush, killed or injured soldiers were taken away in three ambulances.
The regime vehicles returned to their base after the ambushes.
Resistance leader, 65, killed in clash in Tanintharyi
Local resistance group Dawei Guerrilla Revolutionary Force (DGRF) said that a 65-year-old military strategist of their force who was also the head of Oak Awe Column Dawei was killed during a firefight with regime forces in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region on Saturday.
Junta soldier, pro-regime militia member assassinated in Tanintharyi
Launglone PDF claimed to have killed a soldier and injured another in a village in Launglon Township, Tanintharyi Region on Monday when it attacked a group of junta personnel collecting voter lists for the regime’s coming sham election.
In the attack, weapons and ammunition were seized.
The PDF group said it also assassinated pro-regime militia member Ko Kyaw Lwin, a former soldier who had been armed by regime forces, in the town of Launglon on the same day. The victim, who was also a junta informant, had cooperated with the military detachments to raid villages, Launglone PDF said.
Military battalion bombed in Bago
A junta soldier was killed in Nyaunglaypin Township, Bago Region on Tuesday morning when troops of Bago District PDF Battalion 3702 used two M79 bombs to attack the military base there, said Bago Regional PDF.
The bombs exploded in front of the house of the battalion commander. On the same day, the PDF group also blew up two bridges mainly used by military battalions in the township.
