Three civilians, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed during a Myanmar junta counterattack on anti-regime forces in Mon State’s Kyaikmaraw Township on Monday, according to sources.
The incident, which occurred after troops from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) mounted an assault on a police outpost in the village of Taung Kalay, also reportedly left at least 10 people injured.
Resistance sources reported that the military deployed attack helicopters and fighter jets, in addition to heavy artillery, soon after the fighting began.
The girl, identified as Taung Kalay resident Phyo Khine, and two men, aged 41 and 45, were killed during the bombardment of the village. Details about the two men were not available at the time of reporting.
Several houses and religious buildings, including a monastery in a neighbouring village, were also damaged in the attack, sources said.
According to members of the allied resistance forces, five soldiers and three police were killed during seven hours of fighting. The KNLA and PDF troops also seized weapons and ammunition after overrunning the outpost, they added.
Taung Kalay is located on the road that connects the towns of Mudon in Mon State and Kyainseikgyi in Karen State. Vehicles travelling on the road were caught in the fighting on Monday.
Around 100 regime soldiers and members of a pro-military Border Guard Force (BGF) retook the outpost after the resistance forces left the village, according to a local resident.
“The current update is that the BGF, police and the military have re-occupied the outpost. The other side has retreated from the village,” the local told Myanmar Now on Tuesday.
Around two-thirds of Taung Kalay’s inhabitants fled soon after the fighting began, while others followed the next day, he added.
“Some residents who couldn’t get away had to hide in nearby caves,” he said.
Additional reporting by Linn Htin
