Over 1,700 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Killed in Past Three Months, Civilian Govt Says

By The Irrawaddy 14 September 2021

A total of 1,710 junta soldiers were killed and more than 630 wounded during 1,171 shootouts and assassinations involving ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters over the past three months, according to Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG).

Based on media reports and sources, the NUG’s Ministry of Defense said that more than 431 civilians had also been slain and 184 wounded by junta forces during the incidents.

Since late March, people across Myanmar have taken up available weapons including slingshots, homemade air-guns and firearms to resist the junta in response to an escalation by regime forces of their killing of peaceful anti-coup protesters across the country.

In the past three months, about 180 shootouts between junta forces and ethnic armed groups across the country were reported. During the firefights, 509 junta soldiers were killed and another 214 were injured, while 14 civilian resistance fighters were killed and 17 wounded, said the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Also, there were 157 defensive actions conducted by the civilian resistance fighters of the People’s Defense Forces against the junta across the country within the three months.

During the defensive actions, 994 junta troops were killed and almost 350 were wounded, while 85 civilian resistance fighters were killed and 34 were injured.

A total of 102 junta soldiers were also killed and 19 wounded during 227 assassinations targeting military regime forces. During the assassinations, 14 civilian fighters were killed and seven were injured. The highest number of assassinations was reported in July, with 87.

Also, there were 280 explosions killing 56 junta soldiers and injuring 47 troops within the three months, said the MoD. In the explosions, 15 people were killed and 35 wounded.

During the period, the junta has escalated its violence against civilians, the MoD said. Junta forces committed 309 acts of violence killing 302 civilians and injuring more than 90 people.

Myanmar has also seen 18 incidents in which junta troops fired on each other, leaving 37 dead and two wounded.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has also been reporting growing and increasingly intense violence between junta forces and PDF members across the country except in Rakhine State following the declaration of a “people’s defensive war” against the junta by the NUG on Sept. 7.

Since the declaration, the Myanmar junta has escalated not only its inspections and arrests, but also its raids and violence including burning down and bombarding villages across the country especially in Kayah State and Magwe and Sagaing regions.

At the same time, the PDFs’ civilian resistance fighters have stepped up their operations targeting junta forces both in rural and urban areas.

As of Monday, Myanmar’s junta forces had slain almost 1,090 people during their crackdowns, raids, arrests, interrogations and arbitrary killings, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said.

A total of 8,100 people including elected government leaders have also been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.