Live Conflict Myanmar Civil War

Isa Khan · Aug 14, 2021

More than 30 junta soldiers were reportedly killed and others wounded by armed resistance fighters in Kayah State and Sagaing Region on Thursday.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the casualties.

On Thursday afternoon, two out of seven military vehicles carrying junta troops traveling from Pale to Monywa Township in Sagaing Region triggered Yinmabin People Defense Force (PDF) landmines near Mount Phowintaung in the east of Yinmabin Township.

The troops were allegedly returning after raiding villages and attacking resistance fighters in Pale.

Around 30 military casualties were reported after two vehicles were seriously damaged, a fighter in the ambush told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

He said they used seven landmines and suffered no casualties, despite junta troops firing indiscriminately.

“We will resist them until they return to their barracks,” said the Yinmabin PDF member.

In the south of Kale Township in Sagaing Region, the PDF ambushed junta troops near Nat Chaung village.

Kale’s PDF said in a statement that troops raided Nat Chaung the previous day.

During eight hours of shooting, three junta soldiers were killed and a PDF member was lightly injured by a military explosive.

Residents warned the Kale’s PDF to be alert as junta troops are still deployed at Nat Chaung.

Civilians in Kale, Yinmabin, Pinlebu and Tamu townships in the sprawling region have used traditional, homemade air guns or rifles since late March when junta forces began killing peaceful anti-regime protesters.

Another five soldiers were killed and three injured on Thursday in a shootout with ethnic armed groups the Karenni Army (KA) and Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) in Kayah State.

Civilian resistance fighters and troops from the KNDF and KA, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, ambushed junta sentries near Htee Kalu Daw village in Hpruso Township on Thursday morning.

Five junta soldiers were killed and three wounded and junta firearms, including a heavy weapon, were seized by the KNDF and KA, the KNDF said in a statement.

A shootout between junta troops and Karenni forces, including civilian fighters, was reported on the Demoso-Hpruso highway on Thursday morning.

In response, Battalion 102 based in Demoso used artillery on villages in Hpruso Township, injuring a Htee Paw So villager in her thigh, according to the KNDF and the media.

On Thursday afternoon, a shootout between junta soldiers and the KNDF occurred in Pekon Township, Shan State, according to the KNDF.

Armed resistance against the junta started in Kayah State in late May. The regime is currently attacking Karenni forces in Loikaw, Demoso, Hpruso, Bawlakhe and Hpasawng townships.

Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Sagaing and Kayah

More than 30 regime soldiers were reportedly killed by armed resistance forces in Sagaing Region and Kayah State on Thursday.

www.irrawaddy.com

Isa Khan · Aug 16, 2021

A bomb blast at a military base in Magway on August 8 damaged six fighter jets, leaving four of them unusable, a local resident in Magway told RFA on condition of anonymity.

Two bombs exploded near the arms depot inside the Magway Air Base compound on Kanbyar Road in Magway around 4 am on August 8.

On the same day, the Bishnoi People's Defense Force announced that the bombing was carried out by the Allied Forces and the Bishnoi People's Defense Force to show the bloodshed on the 33rd anniversary of the Eight-Party Uprising.

The commander-in-chief of the Air Force, Maj-Gen Maung Maung Kyaw, arrived at the Magway Air Force on August 10 after the blast, according to an unnamed Magway resident.

Since August 11, security has been tightened in Magway and arrests have increased, according to locals.

According to the Myawaddy News Agency, which is under the Military Council, General Maung Maung Kyaw, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, is an officer. He met with soldiers and family members and spoke encouragingly.

RFA tried to contact General Zaw Min Tun, the Deputy Minister of Information of the Military Council, this evening to confirm the crash, but he did not answer the phone.

Locals say the Magway air base was also hit by a rocket on the morning of April 29.

မကွေးလေတပ်စခန်းထဲပေါက်ကွဲမှု တိုက်လေယာဉ်လေးစီး ပျက်စီးခဲ့ကြောင်း ဒေသခံတွေပြော

မကွေးမြို့မှာ ပြီးခဲ့တဲ့ ဩဂုတ်လ ၈ ရက်နေ့က ဖြစ်ပွားခဲ့တဲ့ စစ်ကောင်စီတပ်ရဲ့ လေတပ်စခန်းထဲ ဗုံးပေါက်ကွဲမှုကြောင့် တိုက်လေယာဉ် ခြောက်စီး ထိခိုက်ခဲ့ပြီး အဲဒီအထဲက လေးစီးကတော့ သုံးလို့မရတော့အောင် ပျက်စီးသွားတယ်လို့ မကွေးမြို့က လုံခြုံရေးအရ အမည် မဖော်လိုတဲ့ ဒေသခံတစ်ယောက်က RFA ကို ဒီနေ့ ပြောပါတယ်။

www.rfa.org

Some aircraft were hit by shrapnel in explosions at Magwe military airbase on August 8, according to the regime’s spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun.

An alliance of resistance fighters and the Beikthano People’s Defense Force claimed responsibility, saying they jointly attacked the airbase to mark the 33rd anniversary of the 8888 uprising when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to oppose military dictator General Ne Win in 1988.

“There were two explosions in the north and west of the airbase. Some hangars and aircraft were hit by shrapnel. We are still investigating the explosions,” said Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun.

Some Magwe residents claimed three fighters were damaged in the explosions but the regime did not give details.

A resident said he heard two explosions, which left a large hole in a building.

“The first explosion was not too loud. But the second was so loud it felt like an earthquake and it woke everyone. I heard no one was injured in the explosions,”

The airforce commander, General Maung Maung Kyaw, visited Magwe Airbase on August 10 to meet personnel and their families, the military mouthpiece Myawaddy TV reported.

On April 29, airbases in Magwe and Meiktila in Mandalay Region were attacked with rockets.

The military regime said Magwe airbase was attacked with four rockets, one of which left a hole on the base.

Myanmar Rebels Damage Aircraft During Airbase Attack

The military regime admitted civilian resistance fighters damaged aircraft in an attack to mark the 1988 uprising.

www.irrawaddy.com

A group of unidentified attackers shot and killed five police officers on the Yangon circle line on Saturday evening, a striking train worker told Myanmar Now.

The gunmen rode the train and then launched the attack when it stopped at a station near Ahlone Township, the worker said on condition of anonymity, citing a railway police officer who is familiar with the case.

“One of the policemen shot back at the gunmen,” he said, though he added that none of the attackers were killed or captured. “Passengers and other people on the train were safe as they were asked to get off before the shooting happened, I heard.”

Lance-corporal Win Zaw Latt and three privates died at the scene, he added. Two corporals, Myint Htay and Kyaw Zin, were sent to the 500-bed Defense Services Orthopaedic Hospital in Mingalardon Township, he added. Myint Htay later died at the hospital.

Soldiers came to collect the bodies of the four police officers at the station and did not make any arrests, he said. No one has claimed responsibility for the killings.

The officer who survived, Kyaw Zin, was asleep when the attack started. “He woke up when he heard voices and got shot in the chest,” the worker said.

One of the privates who died was 20-year-old Ye Min Tun. A relative of his told Myanmar Now the family was still trying to retrieve his body.

Photos of the policemen lying dead on the train went viral on Facebook on Saturday evening.

The pro-military People Media news outlet reported the killers took four guns from the police officers.

The junta has not commented officially on the attack and its spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks by guerrilla fighters against junta targets. Local administrators, soldiers, police, and suspected military informants have been killed and injured across the country.

Four Myanmar Police Officers Shot Dead on Train in Yangon

Two others were injured in the shooting by unidentified gunmen; the incident comes amid stepped-up attacks against regime targets in the capital this month.

www.irrawaddy.com

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Isa Khan · Aug 20, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4701894496522037

Around seven junta soldiers were reportedly killed by landmines planted by the civilian resistance fighters from Shan and Kayah states while regime troops were inspecting a destroyed power cable in Shan State on Monday.

The People’s Defense Forces (PDF) in Pekon Township, Shan State, mined two pylons supporting power lines from Lawpita Hydropower Plant in Kayah State to military bases in Naypyitaw on August 12.

The two towers near the border of Pekon Township were blown up by resistance forces.

The PDF in Pekon and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) said the cable powers military bases in the capital.

PDF videos show the pylons falling after explosions at their base and the cables being cut by a man with a cutting tool.

Naypyitaw residents have not reported any power disruption at military bases.

On Monday, junta soldiers triggered PDF landmines near the destroyed pylons.

The KNDF told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that there were at least seven military casualties.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the figures.

The PDF said the area has seen heavy junta reinforcements.

On August 14, a fierce shootout occurred in the township when PDF from Pekon and Demoso and Moe Bye in Kayah State and personnel from the KNDF and Karenni Army, the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party, attacked junta forces and the Pa-O National Organization (PNO) ahead of an alleged raid on the PDF in Pekon.

In the shootouts, 11 junta and PNO troops were reportedly killed.

On August 15, a fierce firefight occurred when the PDF ambushed around 400 junta reinforcements arriving in the township from Loikaw, Kayah State. The fighting resulted in many military casualties and a civilian fighter was injured, according to the PDF.

Myanmar Resistance Landmines Kill Junta Troops After Attack on Power Line

The People's Defense Forces in Shan State say it destroyed a power cable supplying the military and left landmines around the site which killed around seven soldiers.

www.irrawaddy.com

Six junta soldiers were killed and many others wounded by civilian resistance fighters in Mandalay Region’s Mogoke Township on Monday.

In the morning, civilian resistance fighters of the People’s Defense Force-Mogoke and troops from the ethnic armed group the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) ambushed the troops from the military’s Battalion 148 near Ho Weit Village in the east of the township.

PDF-Mogoke said in a statement that the clash occurred as the junta troops attempted to raid an area controlled by the PDF in the township.

During the firefight, six junta soldiers were killed and many others were injured while no casualties were reported on the side of the combined forces of the PDF-Mogoke and the KIA, according to the statement from the resistance force, which was formed by Mogoke youths in May.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the military casualties, however.

Myanmar has seen armed resistance mounted by civilians since late March, after the military regime’s forces began killing peaceful anti-coup protesters.

As of Monday, since the Feb. 1 coup, the military regime had killed almost 1,000 people during its crackdowns, raids, arrests, interrogations and random shootings. More than 7,300 people including elected government leaders have been arrested by the junta.

Currently, ongoing clashes between civilian resistance forces and junta troops are being reported in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin, Shan, Kachin and Kayah states.

In July alone, more than 740 junta soldiers were killed and almost 370 wounded during 355 shootouts, assassinations and bombing attacks involving ethnic armed forces and civilian People’s Defense Forces across the country, according to a statement from Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG).

Civilian Fighters, KIA Troops Kill Six Myanmar Junta Soldiers in Mandalay Region

Mogoke Township’s People’s Defense Force said it ambushed regime soldiers as they were attempting to raid its position.

www.irrawaddy.com

Around 40 military troops based in Tanintharyi and Magwe regions have reportedly fled the armed forces and joined the uprising against the junta.

The defections came amid heavy daily losses being inflicted on junta forces by civilian resistance fighters and ethnic armed organizations.

Last month more than 740 junta soldiers were killed and almost 370 wounded during 355 shootouts, assassinations and bomb attacks involving ethnic armed forces and the civilian People’s Defense Forces across Myanmar, according to the parallel civilian National Unity Government.

On Thursday morning, around 25 soldiers based in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, abandoned their posts with their firearms, according to the Intelligence Agency in Tanintharyi, which was formed by soldiers who have joined the civil disobedience movement.

The group posted on Facebook on Thursday that the troops were from Battalion 25 in the township.

“The defections have been confirmed. I heard from my friend in the military,” a Dawei resident said. “We don’t know their ranks. They took their weapons.”

Residents told The Irrawaddy regime forces are searching all vehicles and blocking roads in the township since early Thursday.

On Wednesday, around 15 personnel from a military weapons factory in Thayet Township, Magwe Region, have reportedly defected with their weapons.

However, the regime has denied the defections, saying it is propaganda to boost armed resistance against the junta.

It is the latest in a series of military defections. Several hundred soldiers and police have fled their posts since the February coup.

Myanmar Now recently reported that 1,500 soldiers had left the military.

Around 40 Myanmar Junta Troops Abandon Posts with Weapons

Soldiers in Tanintharyi and Magwe regions have reportedly fled the military to join the resistance movement.

www.irrawaddy.com

Isa Khan · Aug 24, 2021

Around 30 junta soldiers were reportedly killed and 15 others wounded during an ambush by the civilian resistance Yaw Defense Force (YDF) in Gangaw Township, Magwe Region, on Monday.

On Monday afternoon, 16 YDF fighters ambushed a military convoy on the Gangaw-Kale highway, according to the group’s statement.

It said the convoy was taking reinforcements to Kale Township in Sagaing Region.

The group, which represents the Yaw community in Gangaw, reportedly used two grenade launchers, three landmines and homemade grenades.

A YDF video shows a military truck triggering a landmine.

In the attack, three out of eight military vehicles were damaged, around 30 soldiers were killed and 15 injured.

The group said it suffered no casualties when soldiers fired back indiscriminately.

The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the casualties.

Last week, the junta troops on the Gangaw-Kale highway faced a series of landmine attacks by civilian resistance fighters, killing around 50 junta troops and injuring many others.

Myanmar’s junta is facing growing numbers of armed resistance volunteers and attacks by ethnic armed groups across the country, except in Rakhine State.

In July, more than 740 junta soldiers were killed and almost 730 wounded during 355 shootouts, assassinations and bombing attacks by ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters, according to Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government.

Attack in Yangon

On Monday evening, resistance fighters from the Civil Guerrilla Force attacked junta forces at a garment factory in Hlaing Tharyar Township using a remote-controlled bomb.

In the explosion, two junta troops were seriously injured, according to the group’s statement.

The group said it suffered no casualties.

On Sunday morning, junta sentries on the Bayint Naung Bridge, which connects Hlaing Thayar and Mayangone townships, were attacked by unidentified assailants. Some regime troops were reportedly injured.

Armed resistance by civilians against the junta appeared in late March when regime forces began killing peaceful protesters.

Since the Feb. 1 coup, the junta has killed more than 1,010 people during crackdowns, arrests, interrogations, raids and random shooting, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported on Monday.

Over 7,440 people, including elected leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.

Around 30 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Magwe Ambush

Civilian resistance fighters said they attacked a convoy of regime reinforcements heading to embattled Sagaing Region.

www.irrawaddy.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1429751244403347458

Saithan · Aug 27, 2021

Myanmar army vows to vaccinate persecuted Rohingya Muslims

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www.dailysabah.com

Isa Khan · Aug 31, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/khitthitnews/posts/1284364595334217

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/366540818283253

Myanmar’s regime sustained casualties, allegedly including a battalion commander, during fighting with ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters in three states over the weekend.

At least five junta soldiers reportedly died during clashes with joint forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Kokang’s Myanmar National Democratic Army (MNDAA) near Muse in northern Shan State on Saturday.

Following the clash, a video showing the death of four soldiers went viral online. The MNDAA claimed on Monday that a battalion commander and their deputy were among the dead but the military denied the reports.

On Sunday afternoon, Kokang News reported: “MNDAA troops ambushed junta soldiers advancing to Mongkoe from Kunlon two times and killed at least five soldiers and injured about 20. The MNDAA seized weapons.”

“The commander and deputy commander were among the dead. We seized the weapons including two pistols,” said the MNDAA’s information officer.

Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun on Sunday said: “A few soldiers died, others were injured and we lost some weapons during the fighting between Mongkoe and Panglong. No battalion commander was killed.”

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the casualties.

The ethnic Kokang armed group said the fighting was only between the military and MNDAA, denying the involvement of the KIA, a member of the Northern Alliance. The Irrawaddy could not reach the KIA for a comment.

The MNDAA said the group and Mongkoe District Defense Force defended junta troops and warned that intensified fighting is expected due to continuous junta offensives. On Monday, military tensions persisted in Mongkoe, according to the MNDAA.

On Sunday afternoon, junta artillery landed in Nam Har village in Mongkoe and killed four villagers, according to residents.

Ethnic armed groups in Karen, Kayah, Shan and Kachin states began joining resistance fighters in March in support of the pro-democracy movement.

Fighting between the regime and armed groups in Kayah and Karen states over the weekend inflicted casualties on the military.

On Sunday, three soldiers died during clashes between junta troops and the Karen National Liberation Army in a village in Paan, according to the Karen National Union, the political wing of the KNLA.

The area is controlled by KNLA Brigade 1 in Thaton District. Military tension rose in KNLA areas last week due to the deployment of regime troops.

On Sunday, at least four clashes occurred between the military’s Brigade 66 and the joint forces of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and Karenni Army at Loilen Lay in Loikaw, Kayah State.

The Karenni Army is the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party. The KNDF was formed with civilian volunteers from Kayah State and Pekon Township in southern Shan State.

The KNDF said three rifles, ammunition and Energa anti-tank rifle grenades were seized.

In early August, there was fighting between junta troops and the Northern Alliance in Mongkoe and Pansai, displacing hundreds of villagers and sending two artillery shells into China territory. China lodged complaints and said it warned the junta. The junta blamed the opposition for the incidents.

The MNDAA, KIA and KNPP were in ceasefire talks with the National League for Democracy government before the February coup. The KNU signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement in 2015 and was also in negotiations with the government.

The junta claims it is in talks with the armed groups.

Myanmar Junta Troops Die in Weekend Clashes

Ethnic armed groups attacked regime forces in Karen, Kayah and Shan states.

www.irrawaddy.com

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4739583902753096

A series of explosions rocked at least 12 locations in Yangon and Mandalay regions on Monday and Sunday, including offices of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

On early Monday morning, blasts occurred at around eight locations in five of Yangon’s townships: Insein, Kamayut, Sanchaung, South Okkalapa and North Okkalapa.

Most of the explosions occurred at traffic police booths at junctions in the city. In Insein alone, blasts were reported at four locations including the traffic booths at Pauktawwa, Japan Road and the junction in Gyoegone Ward in Insein Township.

One local resident said that she was woken at 4.50am by the sound of a heavy explosion coming from the junction of Japan Road and Lower Mingaladon Road in Insein Township.

No casualties were reportedly caused by the explosions. But, at midday, junta forces were inspecting all private vehicles and taxis travelling the three bridges – Bayint Naung, Aung Zaya and Shwepyithar – connecting Hlaing Tharyar Township with Insein, Mayangone and Shwepyithar townships, according to local residents.

The NLD’s office in Mandalay Region’s Maha Aung Myay Township was the target of a blast on Sunday evening soon after being raided by junta forces, according to local media.

Members of Pyu Saw Htee groups, which are trained and armed by the military regime, have been accused of being responsible for the explosion, said local media.

The raid and subsequent blast at the NLD office came after the Maha Aung Myay Township office of the military-backed USDP party was targeted by an explosion earlier on Sunday evening. The USDP office was damaged but no casualties were reported.

A blast occurred also near a convoy of junta forces parked near the forest department office in Mandalay Region’s Chanmyathazi Township on Sunday morning.

“The junta convoy was lying in wait for an anti-coup protest. There were some military casualties from the blast,” a Mandalay resident told The Irrawaddy.

An explosion also occurred on Sunday afternoon in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township. The blast occurred while regime forces were arriving in the area to neutralize a bomb found nearby. However, no casualties were reported, according to local residents.

On the same day, U Tin Hlaing, who had been accused of being a junta informant, was assassinated by unknown gunmen while driving with his wife in Yangon’s Hlaing Township. His wife was wounded in the attack.

Armed resistance to the military regime began in late March, following the junta’s lethal crackdowns on peaceful anti-coup protesters.

In response, the regime formed the Pyu Saw Htee groups, which have reportedly been planting bombs in schools and government offices in order to blacken the name of the civilian resistance fighters. A number of anti-regime civilian protesters, including NLD members, have reportedly been killed by the Pyu Saw Htee groups.

Over 1,020 people had been killed by the junta since the February 1 coup as of August 28, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Another 7,630 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.

Myanmar’s Commercial Capital Yangon and Mandalay Rocked by Bomb Blasts

National League for Democracy office in Mandalay targeted as well as traffic police booths in Yangon.

www.irrawaddy.com

Isa Khan · Aug 31, 2021

More than 100 Myanmar military troops died in August during fighting with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in its Brigade 5 area in Papun district, Karen State, according to the ethnic armed group.

The KNLA is the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), which has been fighting against Myanmar governments and previous military regimes for autonomy and equality for more than seven decades.

The KNU’s Mutraw (Papun) district information department said on Tuesday that 118 junta soldiers were killed and 68 were injured in more than 130 clashes between the junta and KNLA troops in their district. One of those injured was a battalion commander, it said.

The KNLA said five of its soldiers were injured but it sustained no fatalities.

The military launched 120 artillery attacks on civilians’ farms and cultivations, destroying a total of six houses, and three civilians were beaten, it said.

The KNU said the military conducted aerial reconnaissance above Brigade 5 areas five times within the month.

Outside Papun district, military tensions remained in other areas controlled by the KNU/KNLA in Mon State’s Thaton, Karen State’s Paan, Kawkareik and Kyarinseikgyi, and Bago Region’s Nyaunglebin and Taungoo in August, with at least 20 clashes reported.

Since the Feb. 1 coup, some KNLA brigades, including Brigade 5, have been sheltering striking civil servants and providing combat training to civilians volunteering to fight the junta.

KNLA troops inflicted heavy casualties on the military, in addition to seizing at least five military camps near the Salween River along the Thai border between March and May.

Over 100 Myanmar Regime Troops Killed in August: KNLA

The Karen National Union’s armed wing said it engaged in over 130 clashes with junta forces in Papun district during the month.

www.irrawaddy.com

At least 15 Myanmar junta soldiers were killed on Monday as clashes with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) continued in northern Shan State, according to local media.

Fighting erupted between the two sides on July 28. The military regime confirmed that junta soldiers were killed and injured in clashes on Saturday with the MNDAA, but denied that commanding officers were among the casualties.

On Monday, MNDAA troops ambushed regime reinforcements marching from Pansai, the armed group’s spokesman confirmed to The Irrawaddy.

“The military are bringing in reinforcements from Pansai and we are attacking on the road about halfway from Pansai. I still don’t know all the details,” the MNDAA spokesman told The Irrawaddy.

A Kokang-based media outlet in northern Shan State reported that the MNDAA ambushed junta troops on Monday between Pansai and Nan Hu and that at least 15 junta soldiers were killed in the fighting.

Following the earlier fierce clash on Saturday, regime troops responded with artillery strikes on Sunday, killing four civilians, including a ten-year-old, in Nam Ha village. Some 700 villagers from Nam Ha and the other villages in the Kaunglon village-tract were forced to flee to Mongkoe.

“The fighting was quite fierce on Saturday. All the villagers fled for fear that they might be trapped in the fighting. Those who have motorbikes fled by bike and those who didn’t fled on foot. We walked for six miles to flee the clash,” said one local villager.

Family members of the four dead returned to Nam Ha on Sunday evening to bury the victims.

Kaunglon village-tract is some six miles from Mongkoe and has a population of around 700 people, according to 2020 data from the township general administration department.

The MNDAA is active in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone, as well as in Muse, Hsenwi, Lashio and Kutkai, in northern Shan State.

The ethnic armed group is a member of the Northern Alliance alongside the Kachin Independence Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army.

Before the military’s February 1 coup, the Northern Alliance was in the process of negotiating bilateral ceasefire agreements with the then National League for Democracy government and Myanmar’s military.

Since the coup, junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has reconstituted peace negotiation teams led by generals. However, the Northern Alliance and other ethnic armed groups have refused to hold talks with the regime.

15 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Reported Killed in Shan State

Regime troops have been clashing with ethnic armed group the MNDAA in northern Shan State since late July.

www.irrawaddy.com

MNDAA troops attacked the military junta troops who went to Monkoe region between Pan Sai and Namhu region.

2021.8.30

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/367746478162687

Isa Khan · Aug 31, 2021

A truck carrying Myanmar junta soldiers was bombed by unidentified attackers in Hlegu Township in Yangon Region on Tuesday morning, according to residents.

The attack came after about eight blasts rocked the city, including several traffic police booths, on Monday.

At 11am on Tuesday, the military vehicle was parked near a bus stop when someone threw a bomb inside, according to Hlegu Luumhu, a social media page for the township.

The vehicle was damaged and one out of five junta soldiers inside was injured, according to the page.

Following the blast, junta forces stopped vehicles in the township.

On Sunday afternoon, a junta soldier was killed by a bomb attack on a bunker in the township by the Hlegu People Defense Force (HPDF), according to the group.

An alleged junta informant and a soldier were also seriously injured, the HPDF said on Monday.

Armed resistance against the junta started in late March following lethal crackdowns on peaceful protesters.

Myanmar Army Truck Blasted in Yangon; Soldier Injured

Junta forces have suffered three consecutive days of resistance attacks in Hlegu Township.

www.irrawaddy.com

Locals say they have been unable to bury the bodies of residents they found dead around Kar Paung Kya village in Sagaing Region’s Taze Township following a sustained military raid on the community.

Junta troops most recently stormed the village on August 26, causing locals to flee into the nearby forests for safety. Villagers found six bodies after sneaking back into Kar Paung Kya on Sunday while it was still occupied by the military.

The bodies of three men were found near the village’s cemetery—60-year-old Phoe Gyi, 37-year-old Kyaw Naing Lin, and 25-year-old Lwin Moe. At the time of reporting, they were still unburied, an eyewitness told Myanmar Now.

Further details about the men or how they died is not yet known.

Two more men were found dead within the village itself, with gunshot sounds to the head: 40-year-old Zaw Min Lay and 30-year-old Hein Zar, according to the eyewitness.

Villagers managed to bury Zaw Min Lay’s body on Sunday afternoon, but have been unable to retrieve Hein Zar.

Another man, who was not immediately identifiable due to advanced decomposition, was found near a brick kiln in the western part of the village. He also has not yet been buried.

“I think they were all killed on the same day—on the 26th, when they were arrested. The bodies were so rotten that we couldn’t even touch them properly. We had to hold our noses just to carry the bodies,” the witness told Myanmar Now.

Locals say fear of the 100 Myanmar army troops still stationed in the village has stopped them from returning and burying the men.

The same soldiers also shot and killed 30-year-old Moe Swe Oo, a Kar Paung Kya villager in hiding, on August 27, and wounded his sister.

Eighty of the soldiers occupying Kar Paung Kya also raided the village of Leik Chan, 10 miles to the West, on Sunday evening.

“We didn’t notice them ahead of time, as they had changed into plainclothes before they entered the village and they started shooting right away,” a Leik Chan resident said.

Thirty-year-old local man Myo Win was shot dead at his house and another man was arrested in the assault.

Locals have said that the entire population of Leik Chan was forced to flee, including Buddhist monks who had been staying there.

“The soldiers started shooting at the head monk and some novices as they tried to flee to another village. They even used heavy weapons. The community hall at the other side of the river got burnt to ashes,” the Leik Chan resident said, adding that the monks had made it to safety.

After the troops left Leik Chan, locals found shops and homes ransacked, eyewitnesses said.

The Sunday evening attack marked the first time that Leik Chan had been raided by the junta, but locals claim that neighbouring Kar Paung Kya has been targeted some seven times.

Locals have speculated that the raids were carried out after informants reported to the military council that there had been members of the anti-junta People’s Defence Force in the two villages.

Some 800 families from Kar Paung Kya, 200 from Leik Chan and more than 3,000 residents from other villages in Taze Township, including Ywar Thit Kone and Aing Yar, have been displaced by the military’s violence.

The junta has not released any information on the raids or the murders in Kar Paung Kya. All calls to their spokesperson went unanswered.

Six bodies found in Sagaing Region village following military raid

Locals from Kar Paung Kya, Taze Township, remain displaced and unable to bury several bodies of villagers killed by the occupying junta troops

www.myanmar-now.org

Nilgiri · Aug 31, 2021

@Isa Khan

Do we have an estimate of the casualties both sides have taken at this current juncture so far?

Isa Khan · Sep 2, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/368559188081416

Weapons seized from regime troops in Sept. 1 clash. / The Kokang Weapons seized from regime troops in Sept. 1 clash. / The Kokang

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has retaken control of a strategic hill which junta troops captured from the ethnic armed group earlier this week. The MNDAA and the Myanmar military have been clashing in Mongkoe and Pansai in northern Shan State since early July.

MNDAA fighters took back the hill near Phaung Sai village on Wednesday morning after losing it to junta troops in a battle on Monday night. Eight regime soldiers were killed and three MNDAA fighters were injured in the clash, reported The Kokang, a local media outlet.

“We could take back the hill, but there are regime troops around the football pitch of Phaung Sai village. We attach great importance to that hill. Fierce fighting will continue if they continue to attack us,” a MNDAA commander was quoted by The Kokang as saying after Monday night’s fighting.

On August 28, the MNDAA claimed that it found several bodies of junta soldiers, including two commanding officers, following fighting in Mongkoe that day. Regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun confirmed that regime soldiers were killed and injured in the clash last Saturday, but denied that commanding officers were among the casualties.

Junta troops were also ambushed in Pansai on Monday, with the MNDAA claiming that it killed 15 soldiers and seized weapons in the firefight. There was a further clash in Mongkoe on Monday in which an MNDAA fighter died.

The military regime has been attacking the MNDAA’s Brigade 511 which operates in Mongkoe sub-township. Over 1,900 locals have been forced to flee their homes in Mongkoe and Pansai due to the fighting.

Ethnic Armed Group Captures Strategic Hill From Myanmar Junta Forces

Clashes between the MNDAA and regime troops are intensifying in northern Shan State.

www.irrawaddy.com

The Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) Brigade 5 killed 118 junta soldiers during clashes in August, almost double the number it killed in July, according to a statement released on Tuesday by the rebel group.

There were a total of 133 clashes between the brigade and the Myanmar military in Karen State’s Hpapun last month, the group said, during which another 68 junta soldiers were injured, including a battalion commander.

Just five KNLA soldiers were injured in the clashes, the group said, though it did not give details of fatalities on its side. In July, Brigade 5 killed 65 junta soldiers in Hpapun and injured 101, including a battalion commander.

The number of clashes in July – 130 – was almost the same as in August despite the large difference in the number of fatalities.

Territory controlled by Brigade 5 has seen the most intense fighting out of all the places where the Karen National Union (KNU), the KNLA’s political wing, is active. The junta has launched attacks in every KNU territory except for land controlled by Brigade 4.

The KNU has suffered very few casualties compared to the junta because of its familiarity with the local terrain and its use of guerilla style tactics.

Brigade 5 said in Tuesday’s statement that junta forces in its territory have shelled rice paddy fields 120 times, burned down six houses and beat three civilians, killing one. The junta has also sent aircraft to survey the region five times, it said.

Villages within Hpapun, which is also known as Mutraw and was bombed by the junta in March, were told last week to expect more airstrikes.

KNLA’s Brigade 5 says it killed 118 junta soldiers in its territory last month

The rebel group has inflicted heavy losses on the Myanmar military while suffering relatively few casualties

www.myanmar-now.org

At least 24 junta soldiers have died in fighting with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in northern Shan State since last week, the group has said, though locals citing witnesses who saw bodies say the actual number is higher.

Junta forces have launched attacks against the ethnically Kokang group in the Monekoe and Pang Hseng regions of Muse, near the Chinese border. The MNDAA has said it wanted to resolve problems with dialogue but was forced to retaliate.

“The military is facing a much bigger loss right now,” a resident living near the area of the conflict told Myanmar Now. “The MNDAA keeps getting the upper hand, leading to the military losing a lot of their troops.”

At least four junta troops died in a clash on August 26, while at least five died on August 28 and another 20 were injured, the MNDAA has said. Then on Monday the group killed at least 15 soldiers and injured six during a battle in Pang Hseng, an unnamed MNDAA spokesperson told local media.

“The MNDAA still has zero casualties,” he told the Kachin News Group on Monday. “The military regime is now sending reinforcements to prepare for an attack on the MNDAA units stationed in Monekoe.”

The rebel group has released pictures of some of the soldiers it has killed and their confiscated weapons and ammunition.

The MNDAA said it ambushed soldiers who were heading towards Monekoe on a road between Pang Hseng and the region of Nant Hu. Many junta soldiers retreated and left their weapons and dead comrades behind, the group added.

The resident said the MNDAA’s count of how many troops had died is an underestimate: “Many locals said that they found more bodies in the area. There are some people who found 17 more bodies near Nant Hu, so we are pretty sure the military lost many more people.”

Hundreds of people have been displaced by the fighting. The military council has also been fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Monekoe recently.

Kokang rebels have ‘the upper hand’ in fight against junta forces in Shan

At least 24 junta soldiers have died since last week while the MNDAA has suffered ‘zero’ casualties

www.myanmar-now.org

Isa Khan · Sep 2, 2021

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1433323147500011520

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/368560708081264

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/368560558081279

Nilgiri said:
@Isa Khan

Do we have an estimate of the casualties both sides have taken at this current juncture so far?

Well these aren't the correct numbers, but judging by this whole thread and other reports, less than 2017 junta soldiers were killed. Don't see many reports on civilian-rebel, junta arrest most of them. So the numbers might not exceed beyond 400. But at least 200k civilians have been displaced, could be more. Again not the exact correct estimation by me.

Isa Khan · Sep 4, 2021

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1434004200778698759

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1433709492424740866

Isa Khan · Sep 6, 2021

At least 11 Myanmar military soldiers were reportedly killed over the past three days in firefights and ambushes with civilian resistance fighters in Mandalay, Sagaing regions and Chin State.

On Sunday afternoon, a military vehicle triggered a landmine near Taungthaman Lake in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region. A video shows the vehicle being targeted by an explosion.

Two regime soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack, according to locals. Junta forces subsequently inspected all vehicles entering Mandalay, a resident told The Irrawaddy.

In Hakha, capital of Chin State, a clash occurred on late Saturday night between junta soldiers and an unknown armed group at the State Administration Office. Videos reveal gunfire being exchanged between the two groups. At least one Myanmar military soldier was killed, according to local media.

Around eight junta troops were killed in fierce firefights with the People’s Defense Force – Kalay (PDF-K), in Kale Township, Sagaing Region on Friday and Saturday, according to PDF-K.

PDF-K fighters ambushed regime forces who were raiding villages in the south of Kale Township and calling in artillery strikes on them. At least eight junta soldiers died in the clash and three civilian fighters were injured, said PDF-K.

Armed resistance to the military regime began in late March, after the junta’s lethal crackdowns on peaceful anti-coup protesters, with regime forces facing attacks by PDF’s or ethnic armed organizations in every part of the country, apart from Rakhine State.

As of Saturday, the regime has killed 1,046 people during their arrests, crackdowns, interrogations, raids and random shootings, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Another 7,876 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.

Yangon Blast

Two civilians were killed in an explosion in the car park of a condominium in Yangon’s Mayangone Township on Sunday evening. One of the people killed was a condominium security guard. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast as yet.

Junta Says Five Attackers who Killed Police Arrested

Five out of 16 people reported to have killed five police on Yangon’s circular railway in August have been arrested, according to a statement released Sunday by the military regime. The arrests were made on Friday in Yangon’s Tamwe and Thingangyun townships. Four firearms taken from the dead police were also seized.

Six policemen working as onboard security officers on a circular railway train travelling from Yangon’s Central Station to Kyimyindaing in the city’s west were shot at close range on August 14. Five of the policemen were killed in the attack, and one injured.

11 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Killed in Weekend Clashes

Civilian resistance fighters and regime troops clash in Chin State, Mandalay and Sagaing Regions.

www.irrawaddy.com

The Naypyitaw chapter of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) released a statement on Wednesday announcing that they had attacked a military column belonging to the coup regime on Monday and inflicted multiple casualties on the junta’s side.

The statement explained that the PDF, in cooperation with members of another unnamed Special Region armed group, had a clash with junta forces in Pyinmana Township at 4pm. The PDF then allegedly attacked a reinforcement column sent to the area by the military at 7pm that day.

Some 11 junta troops were reportedly killed in the clashes, according to the PDF’s Naypyitaw chapter.

The secretary of the National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Defence Naing Htoo Aung confirmed both the clash and the casualties, and told Myanmar Now on Friday that the account of the incident provided by the PDF was correct.

Gen Zaw Min Tun, the deputy minister of the junta’s information department, told pro-military People Media on Thursday that “there was no clash whatsoever” in the area in question.

“They’re trying to fool people from other regions into thinking that this is even happening in Naypyitaw,” Zaw Min Tun is quoted as saying.

Multiple Pyinmana locals told Myanmar Now that the PDF claim was in fact true, and that the military column was attacked by resistance forces in the southeastern part of the township, on a hillside near the Kayah State border on the easten bank of the Paunglaung River.

“Very few people go there. It’s quite an isolated area,” one of the locals said.

Another resident from the area also confirmed that the military column was attacked nearby, twice.

“The supply and transport force vehicle going toward Upper Myanmar triggered landmines. Then there was another clash with the reinforcement column in the evening,” the resident said, adding that it occurred between the villages of Aung Beik Theik and La Bet Taung. “We could hear the weapons. People from La Bet Taung couldn’t even sleep that night.”

In addition to denying that any clashes took place in the region serving as the junta’s capital, Gen Zaw Min Tun also said that there had been a decrease in bombings and ambushes in other regions against the junta’s armed forces throughout the country.

The military coup council has not released any statements on the daily bombings and attacks on military personnel and infrastructure, nor have they confirmed the number of casualties suffered by their forces in attacks by local defence forces and ethnic armed organisations.

Home - Myanmar Now

Latest news & insightful features on Myanmar

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Saithan · Sep 6, 2021

Myanmar's military agrees to ASEAN call for cease-fire

BY REUTERS

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN ASIA PACIFIC
SEP 06, 2021 9:39 AM GMT+3

A soldier stands guard on a blockaded road to Myanmar's Parliament in Naypyidaw Feb. 1, 2021, after the military detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's president in a coup. (AFP Photo)

Myanmar's military rulers have agreed to an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) call for a cease-fire until the end of the year to ensure distribution of humanitarian aid, Japan's Kyodo News agency said, citing the envoy of the Southeast Asian bloc to the crisis-torn nation.

Following a coup in February, ASEAN has been trying to end violence in Myanmar, where hundreds have been killed, and open a dialogue between the military rulers and their opponents. The envoy, Erywan Yusof, proposed the cease-fire in a video conference with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, and the military had accepted it, he told the agency.

"This is not a political cease-fire. This is a cease-fire to ensure safety, (and) security of the humanitarian workers" in their effort to distribute aid safely, Erywan said, according to Sunday's report. "They didn't have any disagreement with what I said, with regards to the cease-fire," it quoted the envoy as saying.

Erywan had also passed his proposal indirectly to parties opposed to rule by the military, it added.

A military spokesperson did not answer calls from Reuters to seek comment. In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Erywan said he was still negotiating with the military over the terms of a visit he hoped to make before late October and had sought access to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "What we are calling for now is ... for all sides to undertake a cessation of violence, especially with regards to the distribution of humanitarian assistance," he said.

ASEAN nations and dialogue partners had pledged $8 million in aid for Myanmar, he added. The military seized power after alleging irregularities in an election swept by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. International monitors and the electoral commission at the time said the army accusations were wrong.

Myanmar's military agrees to ASEAN call for cease-fire

Myanmar's military rulers have agreed to an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) call for a cease-fire until the end of the year to ensure...

www.dailysabah.com

_________________________________________

This is just a momentarily respite for resupplying and resuming what's going on.

Real ceasefire would be follow up by government talks and such, but there are no such indications. So if the Junta withdraws the rebels will push.

Isa Khan · Sep 6, 2021

Around 580 junta soldiers were killed and almost 190 wounded during 443 shootouts and assassinations with ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters in August, according to Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG).

Based on media reports, the NUG said almost 73 civilians were killed and another 45 wounded by junta forces during 129 acts of violence by the regime.

Myanmar’s military regime has been facing armed resistance from people using air-guns, homemade firearms and bombs across the country, except in Rakhine State. The state reported no resistance and only one civilian death in August.

In August, regime forces faced 81 firefights with ethnic armed forces and 57 with civilian People’s Defense Forces (PDF).

Junta forces also faced 74 assassinations, 94 explosions and eight shootouts.

The regime suffered its heaviest losses in Sagaing Region with 33 incidents with the civilian resistance, two shootouts with ethnic armed forces, 22 assassinations and 11 explosions. Junta forces committed a reported 38 acts of violence against civilians in the region.

An estimated 222 junta soldiers were killed and 59 wounded while 37 civilians were killed and eight wounded by junta forces in August.

In July, 417 junta soldiers were killed and 270 injured in the region.

The NUG said Yangon Region reported the second-largest amount of violence with 64 cases in August.

It reported 37 explosions and 14 assassinations by the PDF and 11 acts of junta violence against civilians.

Seven junta troops and 11 civilians were killed, the NUG said.

Myanmar’s junta continues its atrocities, killings, arrests and raids against those who allegedly oppose military rule and their relatives.

By Saturday, the regime killed 1,046 people, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Another 7,876 people, including elected government leaders, have been detained by the junta or face arrest warrants.

Myanmar Shadow Govt Claims 580 Junta Troops Killed Last Month

The regime faced the heaviest resistance in Sagaing and Yangon regions during August, according to the civilian shadow government.

www.irrawaddy.com

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4761471043897715

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4762047983840021

Isa Khan · Sep 7, 2021

Two junta soldiers were injured when attackers threw a bomb at a military vehicle in Mandalay on Sunday, a witness told Myanmar Now.

The explosion happened in an area of Amarapura west of the Taung Thaman lake, which is where the famous U Bein Bridge is situated. The area was crowded with people going to a festival held at the local Yadana cave when the incident happened, according to the witness.

“The bomb was thrown towards the military vehicle while it was moving. We don’t know what kind of bomb it was. All of us nearby either ran away or went inside houses when we heard the explosion,” the witness said.

The military vehicle did not catch fire, they added, but they saw a motorcycle on fire near the scene of the attack.

Junta soldiers arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion, blocked the roads and took the two injured soldiers away in an ambulance. No one has been arrested in relation to the attack and no one has claimed responsibility.

The military council could not be reached for comment.

Mandalay has seen an increasing number of attacks by guerilla fighters targeting junta forces and their allies in recent weeks.

Late last month a convoy of parked military vehicles was struck by a bomb in the center of the city.

Two junta soldiers injured in bomb attack on military vehicle in Mandalay

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in a crowded area near the famous U Bein Bridge

www.myanmar-now.org

Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on the country’s regime on Tuesday in order “to root out military rule”, taking the ongoing armed struggle against the junta to another level, with fighting expected to intensify across the country.

In a speech to the country on Tuesday morning, the NUG’s acting president, Duwa Lashi La, called on all citizens to “revolt against the rule of military terrorists led by [coup leader] Min Aung Hlaing in every corner of the country” and declared all of Myanmar to be under a state of emergency.

“It will last until the resumption of civilian rule in the country,” he said.

The acting president also urged anyone serving under the regime to leave their job as of today and requested that the public refrain from traveling, while asking for their support.

The NUG was formed in April, largely comprising elected lawmakers from the ousted National League for Democracy government and their ethnic allies. Since its formation, it has enjoyed support at home and abroad.

The announcement of the official armed struggle against the regime comes one week before the opening of this year’s session of the UN General Assembly in New York. If fighting intensifies in the coming days, the Myanmar crisis is expected to be one of the dominant issues at the meeting.

The NUG’s call for armed struggle comes seven months after the military takeover in the country; Myanmar has already seen sporadic deadly civilian armed resistance against the military for months, as many young people have taken up arms in response to the junta’s deadly crackdowns on protesters. At the same time, ethnic armed groups in Kachin and Karen states have launched deadly offensives against regime troops to show solidarity with the anti-regime movement. The armed groups have also offered weapons training to the young people; many have launched deadly guerrilla attacks against regime troops and their associates in urban areas. As a result, the regime has been unable to assert control of the country as a whole.

Regarding the NUG’s call for war, it’s not yet clear how it would launch offensives. Despite the nationwide presence of civilian resistance groups like the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), the regime still outnumbers and outguns them.

Regional bloc ASEAN, of which Myanmar is a member, has tried to intervene by assigning a special envoy for the country. The envoy recently called for a four-month ceasefire to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Myanmar’s Shadow Govt Declares War on Military Regime

The National Unity Govt declared a state of emergency and called on all citizens to revolt against the junta; the move comes days before the UN General Assembly convenes.

www.irrawaddy.com

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4764450490266437

https://www.facebook.com/theirrawaddy/posts/4764408480270638

Isa Khan · Sep 7, 2021

On September, Myanmar dispatched a drone over the Allied Forces Defense Zone to conduct an aerial reconnaissance. This is the first time since the Burmese Army attacked the Allied Army outbreak and control working group in the Dungu region in July this year. In preparation for a massive military operation, even aerial bombardment.

https://www.facebook.com/Kokang311/posts/370574691213199