Eight members of a local resistance group and two civilians were shot dead in an ambush by junta soldiers near De Doat Kan village in Minhla Township, Magwe Region on Monday evening.
Six members of the Eagle Force Peoples Defense Force (PDF) and two civilians were killed after fighting erupted when junta troops acting on a tip-off stopped their truck at a checkpoint.
They then killed another resistance member nearby and shot dead the eighth victim as they cleared the area, said Ko Myat, information officer for Thayet District Battalion 4, which Eagle Force belongs to.
“Information was leaked and they were ambushed as they returned from a mission,” Ko Myat told The Irrawaddy.
The shootout lasted for about 20 minutes and a regime soldier was wounded, he added. The resistance group also lost seven guns and ammunition in the ambush.
“We are currently dealing with the fallout from this incident and will issue a detailed response when the situation is stable,” Ko Myat told The Irrawaddy.
Pro-junta Telegram channels reported that eight corpses of PDF fighters plus arms and ammunition were retrieved after the clash.
Magway Region in central Myanmar is a resistance stronghold where PDFs have been fighting a fierce defensive battle against junta forces in the wake of the 2021 military coup. In June last year, a dozen PDF members were shot dead and three others arrested during an ambush by junta forces in Magwe’s Pwint Phyu Township.
