After the junta’s armed forces raided a post belonging to the People’s Defence Force-Kalay (PDF-Kalay) outside the Sagaing Region town on Monday, a spokesperson for the local resistance group said they were forced to withdraw.
At around 5am that day, the military deployed a large number of troops to carry out a raid on the base, the PDF-Kalay spokesperson said.
“Fighting did not break out. We have only handmade guns, so because of an imbalance of weapon power, we withdrew from the area. They fired heavy artillery to the areas where we ran. They fired guns,” he explained.
“We will continue fighting. We will not give up,” he added.
There were no casualties reported by members of the PDF, but a civilian was shot in the leg near the post where the raid occurred.
On the afternoon of June 26, a convoy of more than 20 military vehicles travelling from Gangaw Township to Kalay was attacked by the PDF-Kalay, who planted explosives near Pan Mon creek. According to the PDF, there were casualties on the junta’s side.
Similarly, on the following afternoon near Than Pho village, at least nine military personnel were killed in a PDF ambush carried out on four military trucks travelling along the same route, according to the local resistance group.
The military council denied that they had suffered casualties and downplayed the attack.
Junta-run newspapers reported that the military convoy was attacked by men using traditional handmade guns and small weapons for around 10 minutes before the attackers fled. The news outlets added that allegations that nine soldiers were killed were false.
They did, however, report that “terrorists” had ambushed security forces patrolling the area.
Residents of Kalay told Myanmar Now that the junta had recently deployed dozens of military trucks in the town, which is also suffering from an increase in Covid-19 infections.
Despite repression by the military council and the risks of the pandemic, locals have continued to take to the streets in daily protest of the coup regime.
Kalay was among the first townships nationwide to begin civilian-led armed resistance against the junta, following the February 1 coup.
![Resistance fighters holding heavy weapons ammunition in central Myanmar. (Photo: Freedom Revolution Force [FRF])](https://myanmar-now.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/04/438869056_443267851680128_1706386881626943924_n-390x220.jpeg)
