20 Junta Troops Killed in Myanmar Resistance Ambush

CJ

Fierce clashes erupted in Myanmar’s Bago Region this week as resistance forces claimed to have killed 20 junta personnel in coordinated attacks, while civilians were reportedly caught in the crossfire.

On Monday afternoon, fighters from the Thayawady People’s Defense Force (PDF) and allied groups, including the Asho Chin Defence Force, ambushed regime troops advancing into Sin Ai Chaung Pauk village in Minhla Township. The firefight, which lasted around 45 minutes, forced the military to retreat, the PDF said.

Later that day, the resistance launched a separate attack on a police outpost along the Yangon–Pyay road near Sitt Kwin town, accusing junta forces there of extortion and forced conscription. The PDF claimed five more regime troops were killed in the raid, and a vehicle carrying 25 reinforcements was later hit in an ambush, injuring 15 and destroying the transport.

Civilian casualties have also mounted. According to local sources, three people were shot dead and four wounded when a driver failed to stop at a resistance checkpoint. Separately, an 80-year-old man was killed and a woman injured when junta artillery struck Phar Lay Kwin village during continued fighting on Tuesday.

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the PDF’s casualty figures, but reports indicate that tensions in Minhla have soared, with roads blocked and residents fleeing renewed violence.

Among those allegedly killed were an army major and two senior police officers, suggesting a significant blow to local junta leadership.

Meanwhile, in Kachin State’s jade-rich Hpakant township, junta troops have launched heavy-handed operations to reclaim territory lost to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). According to Myanmar Now, military units torched mining sites, shelled villages, and arrested residents between late May and mid-June, with over 600 troops deployed in the area.

At least 30 civilians have been killed by junta shelling and shootings across northern Myanmar over the past month, according to resistance sources.

As the conflict deepens, resistance groups continue to strike at military convoys and bases, while the junta increasingly relies on heavy weaponry and scorched-earth tactics to retain control—often at devastating cost to civilians.

-2025-06-19