Nearly 90 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Killed in Clashes With Resistance in North

By The Irrawaddy 13 June 2022

Almost 90 Myanmar junta soldiers were reportedly killed in fierce firefights with the People Defense Force in Kachin and Chin states and Sagaing Region on Sunday. 

Several hours-long intense shootouts between the military detachment of Infantry Battalion 415 and the combined forces of the Kachin Region People’s Defense Force-Myohla and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) broke out near a village in Shwegu Township, Kachin State on Sunday. 

During the firefight in the morning, around 50 regime troops were killed and many others wounded, KPDF-Myohla claimed. 

The shootout intensified in the afternoon when the defeated detachment was reinforced by Battalion 121. However, it is unclear what happened after that. 

Also, another nine regime troops were killed when the KIA used mines to attack a detachment of 30 regime troops near Namsi Awang Village in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State on Sunday, according to a local news page and media reports. 

However, The Irrawaddy was unable to independently verify the military casualties. 

Chin Defense Force-Kanpetlet (CDF-Kanpetlet) claimed to have killed a total of 16 regime soldiers during fierce firefights in Kanpetlet Township, Chin State on Sunday. 

On Sunday morning, an intense clash broke out when the ethnic Chin resistance fighters of CDF-Kanpetlet attacked regime forces stationed at a camp in the township. 

During the intense shootout, 11 regime soldiers were killed but there were no resistance casualties, CDF-Kanpetlet claimed. 

Meanwhile, other resistance fighters also raided regime forces stationed at the township administration department office in the town of Kanpetlet, to prevent it from sending reinforcements into the conflict area. 

During the raid, another five regime troops were killed, CDF-Kanpetlet said. 

Civilian’s Defense and Security Organization of Myaung (CDSOM), a local resistance group, also claimed to have killed 10 regime soldiers including Pyu Saw Htee pro-regime militia fighters when a combined force of 14 PDF groups from Mandalay, Magwe and Sagaing regions attacked regime forces in Myaung Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday. 

At 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, the combined resistance groups attacked the regime forces from Pann Nyo Village while they were secretly traveling on motorboats without using engines along the Ayeyarwaddy River in the township. 

On the same morning, the combined forces also attacked a group of 10 regime soldiers under a tree in Sin Chaung Village on the east bank of the river, using rifle grenades. In the attack, two junta troops were killed. 

At the same time, another seven regime forces including an army captain, a regime-appointed village administrator and two Pyu Saw Htee militia were killed after being bombed while they were holding a meeting under a tree adjacent to Nyaung To village, said CDSOM.

Another regime soldier was gunned down by a PDF sniper. The PDF group said they also attacked regime forces in the village using two mortar shells. 

Later, they abandoned their attacks, because the regime forces used villagers as human shields, said CDSOM.

Three other regime soldiers were killed when a combined group of 10 PDFs attacked military troops burning down farm huts of civilians near Sheinmakar Village in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday morning. 

In the afternoon, the fierce shootout continued when the combined PDFs attempted to occupy the police outpost in the village, according to the combined forces. 

After being defeated, the regime forces also called in an Mi-35 helicopter gunship to attack the PDFs. 

GZ Special Task Force-Wetlet, which coordinated the raid, said three resistance fighters suffered minor injuries in the raid and they had to retreat due to the junta airstrikes. 

Currently, regime forces face daily attacks from PDFs and many ethnic armed groups across the country. 

Meanwhile, the regime has escalated its atrocities, including arbitrary killings of civilians; arrests and torture; using civilian detainees as human shields; air and artillery strikes on residential areas; and looting and burning houses, especially in Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Karen states and Magwe, Sagaing and Mandalay regions. 

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