Six junta soldiers, including a captain, were killed during a shootout with civilian resistance fighters from the Chinland Defense Force in Chin State on Friday morning, the Chin National Organization said.
The resistance fighters from the mountain town of Falam attacked eight soldiers near Lumbang village on the Kalay-Falam highway, the Chin Defense Force told The Irrawaddy.
It said two soldiers fled the shootout and a civilian fighter was killed.
An overturned military vehicle was left abandoned.
Another shootout occurred at a village near Mindat on Friday in response to an attempted military raid, according to the Mindat resistance.
During the firefight, the military reportedly used explosives and deployed helicopters.
The Mindat resistance said all villagers fled into the forest during the shootout.
Last Saturday, after imposing martial law on the mountaintop town and bombarding it with artillery, the junta seized the town by using around 18 detained civilians as human shields.
Nine civilian fighters were killed and at least 20 were injured during the operation. Several military casualties were reported and at least six military vehicles were set on fire by civilian fighters.
Most of Mindat’s 25,000 population has now fled the town and around 10,000 civilians are sheltering in seven new internal displacement camps, according to a camp volunteer.
The camps urgently need food, medicine and tents amid heavy rain, the volunteer said.
Residents said junta troops have cut off routes in the forest used to supply the camps.
On Friday, Mindat residents said many civilians remain trapped in the town because junta troops have blocked Mindat’s gates.
Residents said junta troops also cut off water, telecoms access and electricity for the town. The lack of electricity and water is limiting people’s ability to make meals.
“People who went into the town center to take rice from their homes were detained yesterday. The soldiers have closed the town’s gates. Some detainees were released after interrogation and people have been beaten by troops,” a resident said.
The United Nations in Myanmar issued a statement on Friday calling on the junta to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to act proportionally.
It urged the military regime to allow civilians to leave areas of conflict without obstruction or delay, securing their safety and to ensure those injured receive medical treatment in a safe area.
It called for all relief efforts by the UN and its humanitarian partners to be unhindered by the security forces.
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