Ten Junta soldiers were killed in mine attacks in Upper Myanmar

A mine attack in Sagaing Region's Tigyaing Township killed around ten Myanmar junta soldiers on Wednesday.

On the eastern banks of the Ayeyarwady River, on Wednesday morning, an alliance of local resistance organisations ambushed regime forces with three mines while they were going between Kyat Ta Kaung Village and Pay Kone Village.

According to a member of the Special 9 Tigyaing People's Defense Force, over 100 military dictatorship soldiers were marching along the riverbank, providing security for three ships travelling upriver to Katha Township with junta reinforcements (PDF).

The ships left Mandalay on Saturday, carrying approximately 100 troops as well as food and ammunition.

As the ships went through Mandalay Region's Thabeikkyin Township on Monday, local opposition groups used homemade rocket launchers to attack the flotilla.
According to local sources, one vessel was attacked, and a number of junta soldiers were killed or injured.
The Irrawaddy was unable to independently verify casualty figures.

The flotilla arrived in Tigyaing Township on Wednesday, the day of the mine strike.

"The soldiers threatened local locals to pick up the injured soldiers with a motorboat," a member of the Special 9 Tigyaing PDF stated.

Sagaing Region is one of the resistance movement's strongholds, and regime troops from Thabeikkyin Township's 13 battalion frequently raid villages in Tigyaing Township's east.

Local PDFs have retaliated with mine assaults on regime forces on a regular basis.