Myanmar’s military suffered heavy losses during 10 days of fighting that continued until Sunday in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio (Naung Cho) Township, according to the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF).
Ko Osmond, a spokesperson for the group, told Myanmar Now that up to 75 junta troops were killed in the clashes, including around 30 who were accidentally hit by a military airstrike.
“The enemy attacked our bases repeatedly. They would retreat when a number of them got killed or injured and then attack again,” he said, adding that seven resistance fighters also died in the fighting, which began on April 5.
A total of 27 airstrikes were launched by the military over the 10-day period, according to Ko Osmond.
Myanmar Now could not independently confirm this information, and the junta has not released a statement regarding the situation in northern Shan State.
The MDY-PDF has been conducting anti-junta operations in Nawnghkio in collaboration with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed organisation.
Nawnghkio is a heavily forested area with a number of PDF bases. It borders Mandalay Region’s Mogok Township, where clashes were also reported last week.
That fighting took place on April 12, when the Thabeikkyin District PDF attacked a base operated by the military’s Light Infantry Division 88 near Pyaung Gaung Lay, a village located about 15km north of the town of Mogok.
“We thought it was just a small outpost but it turned out to be a major base, so we fought for a little over an hour and then had to retreat as we ran out of ammunition,” said Youtiao, a member of the Thabeikkyin District PDF’s Battalion 1222.
He claimed that 14 junta troops were killed in the attack.
