At least 30 junta military troops were killed in clashes with resistance fighters in Yedashe Township, Bago Region on Feb. 16, according to the Taungoo District Battalion of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and residents.
A combined force of Taungoo District Battalion 3501’s companies 4 and 6, under the PDF of the National Unity Government, launched an attack on a junta military column near Zayit Yoe Kone Village at around 9 a.m. on Feb. 16.
“The junta’s military column was returning after torching and looting villages along the Sittaung River,” said a spokesperson for Taungoo District PDF.
After about five hours of fighting, heavy casualties forced the junta military column to retreat.
The resistance groups said they were able to not only seize arms and ammunition, but also recover jewelry and other valuable property stolen from the villages torched by the soldiers.
A member of the resistance group said that among the 30 military personnel killed was Colonel Zeyar Tun of the No. 2022 Air Defense Battalion.
At least five clashes have occurred between junta forces and resistance groups over the past two weeks, forcing thousands of residents to flee, according to the Yedashe Township Information team.
The regime forces involved in the Feb. 16 clash torched houses in Zayit Yoe Kone and Pint Thilar villages, residents said.
“The junta military column of around 150 troops, those that retreated from the area where they clashed with the resistance groups, set fire to these villages,” said a Zayit Yoe Kone resident.
Junta troops also detained Ko Dae Dae from Doe Tan Village on Feb. 17 and Ko Yan Shin, Ko Phoe Phyu and Ko Win Soe from Zayit Yoe Kone on Feb. 14 and 16, and used them as human shields, forcing them to walk in front of their column, according to local residents and the Yedashe Township Information team.
“We are now trying to find the owners of the jewelry we seized from the junta troops,” said a member of Taungoo District PDF.
Taungoo District PDF said the junta military also suffered casualties in earlier clashes with it and other resistance groups on Feb. 7, 8, 12 and 14, but were still not able to confirm the exact number.
