Eighteen Myanmar regime troops were killed in people’s defense forces (PDFs) attacks in Magwe and Sagaing regions within two days.
On Wednesday morning several PDFs ambushed around 150 regime soldiers near Pauk Taw Kyun village in Yesagyo Township, Magwe Region, according to the groups.
An aerial video shows at least seven fallen soldiers after blasts.
A shootout followed, according to the KNT Guerilla Force, which took part in the attacks.
The group claimed to have killed five soldiers and injured eight others in the ambushes.
Another intense firefight broke out in Budalin Township, Sagaing Region, on Wednesday afternoon when several PDFs from Tabayin, Ayadaw, Kani and Budalin townships raided Kudaw police outpost in the township.
Seven regime troops were reportedly killed, according to the Voice of Kani news page.
Three out of seven civilians being detained at the police outpost since June 10 were released by the resistance forces, the Voice of Kani said, quoting a PDF leader.
On Tuesday, at least six pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed when resistance forces used mines against around 150 troops in three locations in Chaung-U Township, Sagaing Region.
The Chaung-U PDF representative told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the ambushes were in response to the junta arson attacks and the arbitrary killing of four civilians at Taw Kyaung Lay village in the township on Tuesday.
On Sunday, troops and militia members occupied the village for two days and detained around 60 villagers. They burned down approximately 150 houses out of the 400 in the village on Tuesday before leaving.
The corpses of four villagers were found shot and burned after being tied up. Another 18 villagers are still missing, said the PDF. More than 2,000 villagers fled their homes.
Chaung-U PDF attacked the troops as they were returning from Taw Kyaung Lay.
Photos show ammunition, army uniforms, weapons, two vehicles and 500,000 kyats in cash seized by resistance forces after the ambushes.
Six Pyu Saw Htee members were confirmed killed but the regime’s casualties were unknown, said the PDF spokesman.
“We are not satisfied because we wanted more revenge for the junta atrocities. But we will try hard to protect our villages and attack them,” he said.
Myanmar’s junta faces daily attacks from PDFs and many ethnic armies across the country.
Meanwhile, regime troops commit atrocities, including arbitrary torture and the killing of civilians, burning alive, using civilian detainees as human shields, airstrikes and artillery on residential areas and looting and burning houses, especially in Sagaing, Magwe and Mandalay regions and Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Karen states.
More than 1,950 people have been killed by the junta while around 14,122 have been detained, including government leaders, since last year’s coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
