PDFs Fight to Rescue Female Medics Captured by Myanmar Junta Forces
By The Irrawaddy 19 November 2021
Civilian resistance groups are still trying to rescue nine female civilian fighters captured by the junta earlier this week in Sagaing Region’s Kale Township.
With tensions rising in the township, local People’s Defense Forces (PDF) have warned residents not to travel on the Gangaw-Kale Road, which is used by junta soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee, a militia group trained and armed by the military regime.
On Tuesday, junta soldiers raided a base where over 20 civilian resistance fighters from the Kale PDF Battalion 3 were staying. Two male fighters and ten female members of the PDF’s medical team were at the base at the time of the raid.
Kale PDF confirmed that those captured were medics from the resistance group. The Kale PDF said that it found the bodies of two male members and a 23-year-old female medic at the site on Thursday.
Combined forces from the Kale PDF, Chin Nationalities Defense Force (CNDF), Chinland Defense Force, Ranger Kale Defense Force (RKDF) and other community-based resistance groups have been battling regime troops to rescue the captured PDF members.
“We are very sorry that some of those captured from Battalion 3 are our former colleagues. We will fight tooth and nail to rescue the captured members,” said the RKDF in a statement.
CNDF said at least 20 junta soldiers were killed in Tuesday’s fighting. A civilian resistance fighter was slightly injured by an artillery strike.
A combined force of local resistance groups also attacked junta soldiers on Tuesday in the southwest of Kale Township. They also attacked the police station in Tar Han Ward on Tuesday, and an explosion took place near the runway of Kale airport on Wednesday. Despite the fighting, anti-regime protests are continuing in Kale.
In response to the attacks, junta soldiers torched at least 15 houses in two villages on the Kale-Gangaw road on Thursday.
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