30 Myanmar troops killed in Sagaing clashes

At least 30 Myanmar troops were reportedly killed during two fierce encounters with civilian resistance fighters in Kani and Yinmabin townships in the Sagaing region bordering northeast India.

On Tuesday, around 1,000 civilian resistance fighters using homemade hunting rifles attacked about 60 junta troops deployed at the Tayaw Kyin village beside the Monywa-Kalaywa Highway, local residents told IANS.

The village, located on the border of the two townships, was raided by the Myanmar troops in search for hidden weapons.

During the six-hour shoot-out, about 10 troops were killed, commander of a local resistance force, Aung Gyi told IANS.

On Wednesday evening, 60 soldiers sent to reinforce the original raiding party was ambushed as the detachment headed out of Monywa towards the village.

The reinforcements hit five locally made landmines on the Monywa-Kalaywa highway.

About 20 junta troops were killed in the explosions and the gunfire from resistance fighters, according to Aung Gyi.

He told IANS that angry soldiers burned down eight houses near Bant Bway in retaliation.

Aung Gyi said about 100 troops were now combing the forests around the sites of the encounters.

"They are searching all houses along the highway and the adjoining forests. They are opening fire indiscriminately," the commander said, adding he anticipated much civilian casualties in these random firings.

Armed clashes between the junta troops and resistance fighters started in the area on April 2.

Several thousand villagers in Kani township have fled their homes.

Meanwhile, two police officers were reportedly killed by the civilian resistance Zero Guerilla Force during a raid on a security outpost in Mandalay region's Nagzon township on Tuesday night.

Zero Force commander U Lwin told IANS that 25 fighters raided the Min Nay Gon outpost.

During the 20-minute firefight, two officers, including a police captain, were killed and the resistance fighters managed to retreat without casualties, U Lwin said.

Fifteen police officers were left unharmed.

Zero Guerilla Force has attacked junta forces in Myingyan township, Mandalay, on several occasions.

On June 18, it shot dead a traffic police officer.

An army major and captain were shot dead by the group in the town on May 27 and June 3.

"We fight injustice. We will never accept the military regime. We have vowed to fight everything junta-related," said Lwin .

Nine civilians, including a family of six, were detained by junta forces during a house raid in Monywa township, Sagaing, on Monday.

After being accused of supplying the People's Defense Forces (PDF), tutor U Tin Myint Soe and his five family members, including a six-year-old girl, were detained along with three house guests by the junta forces during the Aye Tharyar Ward raid.

On Tuesday, the girl was reportedly released but the whereabouts of the other eight are unknown.

The PDF had attacked an off-take station at Mandalay on the Rakhine-Yunnan pipeline connecting China to the Myanmar coast last month and one of their hideout was raided by security forces this week.

Two resistance fighters died in the shootout and six were arrested.

Resistance groups armed with hunting Rifles, bows-arrows, catapults and machetes are confronting the Burmese army Tatmadaw since the February 1 military takeover in an increasing number of urban locations in a dramatic escalation to the crisis in the 'Pagoda Nation'.