Three junta soldiers were killed and several wounded during a shootout with civilian resistance fighters in Taze Township, Sagaing Region on Monday evening, according to the Sagaing Region People’s Defense Force and local residents.
At around 7pm on Monday, civilian resistance forces against the regime ambushed three military vehicles loaded with around 60 troops. The trucks were returning to Taze from Maharmyaing forest and traveling on the Taze-Kalaywa Highway, in the western part of Taze Township.
Three soldiers were killed and at least 14 injured during the hour-long clash, according to local residents. There were no reported casualties on the civilian defense force side. The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm the military casualties independently.
Following the shootout, the regime forces opened fire on villages that they passed through and continued firing as they entered Taze. Residents said that the junta troops also conducted searches for people who have been charged with incitement under Article 505 of the Penal Code on their return to Taze.
“After the guerilla-style attack by the civilian resistance fighters, the junta soldiers were angry and opening fire on everything they could see. They were firing when they came back to Taze. Then, they searched the houses of those who have been charged under Article 505,” a resident told The Irrawaddy.
Earlier on Monday, junta forces had raided Kaduma village in the morning. They destroyed some houses and threatened villagers with being sent as prisoners to a work camp in Maharmyaing forest, sources said.
On April 7, a shootout occurred near the entrance of Taze when hundreds of residents attempted to prevent seven truckloads of troops from entering the town to crackdown on anti-regime demonstrations.
During that clash, 12 civilians were killed and more than 20 were injured after troops opened fire on them with automatic weapons and sniper rifles. Since then, regime soldiers have been permanently deployed in Taze.
People’s Defense Forces have been formed in several townships in Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin State, with local residents resisting the military regime by using traditional and homemade weapons.
Last Saturday, the National Unity Government, its parliamentary committee and their offshoot civilian defense forces were branded as “terrorist groups” by the military regime, which accused them of incitement against the junta.
The military regime said that it will not tolerate any armed resistance to their coup.
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