Over 100 Myanmar military soldiers were reportedly killed on Tuesday and Wednesday in clashes with civilian resistance groups in Sagaing, Magwe, Tanintharyi regions and Chin, Mon and Shan states. In all, 104 junta soldiers died.
On Wednesday morning, at least 12 junta soldiers were killed and two military vehicles damaged by mine attacks launched by a combined force of five civilian resistance groups in Chaung-U Township, Sagaing Region, according to the Chaung-U People’s Defense Force (PDF), which coordinated the attacks.
The two military vehicles triggered the mines while regime troops were defusing two bombs placed near the entrance to Chaung-U by the civilian fighters.
On Tuesday afternoon, five junta soldiers were reportedly killed and 10 others seriously injured when a combined force of seven civilian resistance groups ambushed three military vehicles with landmines on the Ayadaw-Monwya highway in Ayadaw Township, Sagaing Region, according to the resistance force which coordinated the ambush.
A fierce clash between regime troops and a combined force of PDFs from three townships also broke out on Tuesday in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region. Seven junta soldiers and at least five civilian fighters were reportedly killed in the firefight, according to media reports.
40 regime troops were also killed on Tuesday after straying into a minefield laid by a combined force of the Katha-PDF and the Kachin Independence Army, one of country’s biggest ethnic armed groups, in Katha Township, Sagaing Region, according to Katha Revolution (KR), a local news site and the National Unity Government’s (NUG) Defense Ministry.
On Monday, around 20 soldiers were reportedly killed during a firefight near Moetar Village in Katha Township, said the KR.
On Wednesday morning, at least four junta soldiers were killed and many injured while defusing two bombs near a hospital in Tigyaing Township, Sagaing Region, according to Tigyaing Revolution, the media wing of the Tigyaing-PDF.
The NUG’s Defense Ministry said that another two junta soldiers were killed on Tuesday in mine attacks by local PDFs in Tigyaing.
Also on Tuesday, the Gangaw-PDF claimed to have killed one police officer and injured two others during an attack on Saturday on police escorting a truck transporting illegally-harvested timber in Gangaw Township, Magwe Region.
The Gangaw-PDF said also that they managed to save a civilian who had been shot and detained by the police.
Another seven junta soldiers and police were killed when the combined Chinland Defense Force and Chin National Army raided a police battalion in Hakha, the Chin State capital, on early Tuesday, according to media reports and the NUG’s Defense Ministry.
In southern Myanmar on Tuesday, a several hours-long firefight between regime forces and combined civilian resistance groups occurred in Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Region. Two regime troops were reportedly killed and six others injured during the shootout.
Junta troops and Karenni armed resistance forces clashed in Pekon Township, Shan State on Tuesday night. A church was damaged during the battle after being shelled by regime forces.
Junta soldiers also arbitrarily shelled residential areas in Mobye, Pekon Township the same night, according to Mobye-PDF. Residents were forced to flee their homes and houses were damaged.
Kyaikto Revolution Force, a civilian resistance group in Mon State, claimed to have killed six junta soldiers during a firefight with regime soldiers guarding a junta-owned Mytel telecom mast in Ingabo Village in Kyaikto on Tuesday evening.
Urban Attacks
A series of six blasts occurred on early Wednesday morning near the junta-run General Administration Department in Lanmadaw Township, downtown Yangon.
A vehicle was set alight from one of the blasts, according to residents. A junta soldier was reportedly seriously injured in the hand while defusing a bomb.
After the blasts, regime forces blocked roads and searched people and vehicles in the township.
On Tuesday evening, a vehicle was blown up after being chased by junta troops in South Okkalapa Township, Yangon.
A train on the Yangon Circular Railway was also attacked with a mine in Danyingone Ward in Yangon’s Insein Township on Tuesday evening. Damage and casualties are unknown.
PDFs and some ethnic armed groups have escalated their attacks against military regime forces across the country since September.
At the same time, the regime has continued to commit atrocities, including bombarding residential areas, looting and burning houses, arbitrarily killing civilians and using civilians as human shields, especially in the country’s most restive areas: Magwe and Sagaing regions and Chin, Kayah and Shan states.
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