Myanmar’s junta launched airstrikes with six fighter jets on Tigyaing Township in Sagaing Region on Monday after suffering heavy casualties in fighting with resistance forces.
More than 100 regime troops have raided villages in western Tigyaing since last week and there was fierce fighting on Monday near Taw Ma village at the base of Mount Min Won.
A resistance fighter said many
soldiers were injured or killed in the clashes on Monday morning.
Afterward, jets bombed Taw Ma and Hpone Kone villages.
“Some jets dropped several bombs,” a resistance fighter told The Irrawaddy, adding that no casualties have been reported.
Ground troops later torched around a quarter of Taw Ma’s 200 homes in the afternoon.
The resistance fighters suspect a senior officer was killed on Monday because a Mi-17 helicopter, guarded by planes, arrived to retrieve bodies in the evening.
“For the junta to use six fighter jets is a record in Upper Sagaing. It suggests they suffered heavy losses,” a resistance fighter said.
A Tigyaing People’s Defense Force (PDF) spokesman told The Irrawaddy that at least 20 regime troops were killed or wounded and at least five resistance members were injured on Monday morning. The Irrawaddy has not been able to independently verify the claims.
Regime troops are stationed around nearby Hpone Kone village, which they torched on Tuesday morning.
More than 1,000 Taw Ma, Hpone Kone, Wae Gyi and Mote Wa villagers have fled their homes.
Htigyaing is on the border with Kachin State where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is fighting regime troops. Tigyaing PDF and KIA are jointly attacking regime forces.
On March 31, a junta fighter jet bombed between Wae Gyi and Inn Daung villages in Tigyaing Township where civilians were taking refuge and killed four people and injured three.
