Dozens of Junta Troops Killed in Attacks by Civilian PDF Units

By The Irrawaddy 17 September 2021

At least 26 junta soldiers were reportedly killed in ambushes by People’s Defense Force units in Magwe and Sagaing regions and Chin and Kayah states on Thursday and early Friday.

Myanmar has seen increasingly intense violence between junta forces and People’s Defense Force units across the country since the declaration of a People’s Defensive War by the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) on Sept. 7.

At 5 a.m. on Friday, a combined force of civilian resistance fighters from Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin State attacked a police station located at Mile 9 (Km 14.5) of the Tedim-Kale Highway in Chin State’s Tedim Township, according to a statement issued by the Chinland Defense Force-Kalay, Kabaw, Gangaw (CDF-KKG), one of the participating groups.

A video shows the police station being attacked by the civilian resistance fighters.

During the raid, five policemen were killed, the group said. The CDF-KKG also said the raid was their final “warning attack” on the police station, and urged all police personnel to join the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

Junta soldiers had arrived at the police station early in the morning and started inspecting all vehicles traveling on the Tedim-Kale Highway, a local resident told The Irrawaddy.

On Thursday evening, there were at least 10 military casualties in Saw Township, Magwe Region, when the People’s Defense Force-Saw (PDF-S) used landmines to ambush 100 junta troops traveling on the Saw-Kangyi Highway.

The PDF-S said its members managed to retreat from the area without any casualties.

On the same day, the Chinland Defense Force-Kanpetlet (CDF-K) also ambushed military reinforcements near the border between Chin State and Magwe Region. The junta troops were traveling to Kyindwe town in Chin State from Magwe Region.

As a result of the ambush, the military reinforcements halted their journey after seeing the deaths of seven junta soldiers and many injured, CDF-K said.

Around 14 junta soldiers were also killed during ambushes by the CDF-K in Kanpetlet Township on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, civilian fighters of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force-KNDF and troops from the Karenni Army, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), conducted a combined attack on junta troops deployed on a hill near Mile 6 Village in Kayah State’s Demoso Township.

During the firefight, six junta soldiers were killed by the Karenni armed forces.

On Thursday evening, three military vehicles reportedly triggered landmines planted by a local People’s Defense Force unit in Sagaing Region’s Kanbalu Township. However, military casualties remain unknown.

Since the declaration of the People’s Defensive War by the NUG, the military regime has escalated not only its inspections and arrests, but also its raids and use of violence including torturing detainees and burning down villages across the country, especially in Sagaing and Magawe regions and Kayah State, which are strongholds of civilian armed resistance.

Meanwhile, civilian resistance forces across the country have stepped up their operations including ambushes, assassinations targeting junta forces and destruction of junta-owned Mytel’s telecom masts.

After the NUG’s announcement on Sept. 7, within a week, civilian resistance forces conducted a total of 139 attacks including ambushes, bombings and assassinations targeting junta forces across the country, while the junta committed 31 acts of violence against the people, according to a statement from the NUG’s Ministry of Defense.

Most of the defensive attacks by PDFs were reported in Sagaing, Yangon, Mandalay and Magwe regions.

In the attacks, 192 junta forces were killed and 68 wounded, the NUG said.

As of Thursday, more than 1,100 people had been slain by the junta during their raids, crackdowns, arrests, interrogations and random shootings, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said.

Another 8,223 people including elected government leaders have been arrested by the junta or face arrest warrants.

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