The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) claims to have killed 16 Myanmar junta troops amid a fresh outbreak of fighting in Kokang, Shan State on Saturday.
Saturday’s fighting erupted after several weeks of relative calm in which no clashes were reported in the area.
On Saturday afternoon, members of the Kokang-based ethnic armed organization ambushed a unit of 30 troops from junta Battalion 335, according to the Kokang News, an MNDAA media outlet.
The regime forces were reportedly heading toward an MNDAA base at the time, guided by a civilian detainee.
In the ensuing two-hour firefight, 16 regime forces were killed and seven others wounded, while the rest fled the clash, said the MNDAA.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the regime casualties.
The Kokang News reported that MNDAA troops seized 12 weapons including mortar launchers and ammunition, as well as satellite phones.
A video released by The Kokang News shows the bodies of regime soldiers and their weapons scattered along a road.
In August, the junta conducted airstrikes in territory controlled by the MNDAA and allied Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Lashio Township, northern Shan State. The TNLA is the armed wing of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF).
The MNDAA and regime forces have fought a series of battles in Shan State since the
February 2021 coup.
Meanwhile several dozen clashes between TNLA and regime forces were reported in townships across northern Shan State and neighboring Mandalay Region as of September.
Regime forces have also engaged with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Shan State Army (SSA), the armed wing of Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), in northern Shan State this year.
