At least 21 Myanmar junta troops including a deputy battalion commander were killed on Saturday and Monday during raids on five regime bases in Bago Region and Karen State, claimed the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
On early Monday, the KNLA’s Brigade 1 and 5 jointly raided the Mae Si Htar junta checkpoint manned by Light Infantry Battalion 401 on the Papun-Kama Maung Highway at the border of Mon State’s Thaton District and Papun District in Karen State.
During a 30 minute firefight, five junta troops were killed and 10 others fled the resistance attack, said the Karen National Union (KNU), the political wing of the KNLA.
The KNU added that the troops manning the regime checkpoint are notorious for arresting and torturing civilians, as well as for using civilian detainees as human shields.
Five weapons and ammunition were also seized from the checkpoint, said the KNU.
Early on Saturday, another 16 soldiers including a deputy battalion commander were killed and 17 others injured in Nyaung Lay Pin district in Bago Region, when KNLA Brigade 3 and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) coordinated raids on four Myanmar military bases at the same time.
The targeted areas were in the KNLA Brigade 3’s territory. Two junta outposts at Nyaung Kone and Kyun Kone in Bago’s Kyaukkyi Township were captured and torched by the combined resistance forces.
However, the resistance fighters found that two other junta bases at Naung Kone and Yan Myo Aung were deserted, the military regime soldiers having gone into hiding ahead of the resistance attacks.
One resistance fighter was killed in the Saturday raids and two others wounded, said the KNU.
Nearly a dozen weapons were captured from the junta bases along with ammunition. Resistance fighters saw the corpses of several regime soldiers, said the KNU and PDF Royal Peacock Column, which took part in the raids.
A regime fighter jet and two helicopter gunships launched airstrikes in the area after the resistance groups pulled out.
Many residents in the area have already fled due to ongoing fighting and junta airstrikes.
