About 10 junta soldiers were reportedly killed and 10 wounded during a shootout with civilian resistance fighters in Kani Township, Sagaing Region, on Wednesday afternoon.
The Kani’s People Defense Force ambushed five military vehicles carrying around 70 troops on the Monywa-Kalewa highway, according to residents.
The trucks were returning to a camp at Yargyi village after looting nearby Thalin village, which had been abandoned.
Junta soldiers reportedly triggered landmines beside the highway.
The Irrawaddy could not independently confirm the casualty numbers.
No resistance casualties were reported, said residents.
“The firefight stopped at around 5pm when the civilians stopped shooting due to the rain. The junta soldiers retreated to Yargyi,” a resident told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
He said the soldiers moved from Yargyi to Mingin Township on Thursday morning.
Around 5,000 residents from 10 villages in the area have now fled their homes.
Shootouts started in Kani Township on April 2.
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