Scores of Myanmar Junta Troops Die in Failed Attack on MNDAA Base, Kokang Fighters Say

By The Irrawaddy 21 December 2021

Almost 100 junta soldiers including several army captains were killed or wounded in fierce fighting with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in northern Shan State on Sunday, according to The Kokang, an MNDAA information page.

The intense clash occurred near Phaung Sai Village in Mongkoe District when regime forces attempted to occupy a military base of the MNDAA, which is also known as the Kokang Group. 

Around 500 junta ground troops from six battalions made 10 attempts to occupy the MNDAA’s base. Military jet fighters bombarded the base and an artillery unit fired more than 1,500 artillery rounds at it, the local media outlet reported. 

The regime forces were forced to retreat, however, leaving the bodies of their fallen combatants, a number of firearms and a quantity of ammunition on the battlefield. Two MNDAA troops were also killed and six others wounded. 

Photos show the bodies of regime soldiers left on the battlefield as well as firearms and ammunition seized by the MNDAA. 

The MNDAA and regime forces have been engaging in fierce clashes in Mongkoe and Pansai in northern Shan State since early July. 

In the five months from July to November, almost 200 junta soldiers were killed and around 700 wounded during a total of 263 clashes with the MNDAA, according to Li Tianfu, a spokesperson for the ethnic armed organization. 

Across the country the military regime is facing increasingly frequent attacks and ambushes by People’s Defense Force groups and ethnic armed organizations including the Kachin Independence Army, MNDAA, Karenni Army and the armed wing of the Karen National Union. 

Meanwhile, the regime is suffering heavy casualties daily as a result of continuous attacks by the PDFs and ethnic armed groups. 

The military regime has been totally tight-lipped about the clashes and casualty figures, however, with the exception of a few PDF attacks. 

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