The Irrawaddy :
At least 70 junta troops were reportedly killed during attacks by the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), a local militia opposed to February’s military coup, in parts of Myanmar on Monday and Sunday, reports The Irrawaddy.
On Monday, three PDF attacks targeting regime troops were reported in Yangon and an attack on a convoy carrying junta ministers in Ayeyarwady Region.
On Monday afternoon, an armed group ambushed a convoy carrying Dr. Htay Aung, the junta-appointed hotels and tourism minister and Ayeyarwady chief minister U Tin Maung Win on the Chaungtha-Pathein highway in Pathein Township, according to media reports.
Ten regime troops were killed in the ambush. The whereabouts of the two ministers are unknown.
At least eight junta soldiers and police were killed on Monday in another three PDF attacks in Yangon.
Earlier in the day, civilian resistance fighters attacked junta troops at a police outpost in Htantabin Township, Yangon, killing junta police officers.
The PDF also attacked a police outpost near Thanlyin Bridge in Yangon, killing at least three junta troops.
Another attack on a traffic police post near the bridge in Thaketa Township killed two traffic police officers.
The same day, the Mogoke PDF attacked regime forces stationed at a high school and police station in the ruby town.
On Sunday, the PDF attacked a military camp and a prison in the township.
In two days, at least 20 regime personnel were reportedly killed.
The National Unity Government’s (NUG) defense ministry said ambushes and attacks on regime troops were reported in several townships in Sagaing Region on Monday.
On Monday morning, 10 junta troops were reportedly killed when the Mingin PDF ambushed around 80 troops and Pyu-Saw-Htee militia members in Sagaing Region.
The Pale PDF claimed to have killed about 21 junta soldiers on Sunday when two PDFs ambushed around 80 junta soldiers on foot on the Pale-Gangaw highway.
Two civilian resistance groups on Sunday mined three junta vehicles on the Monywa-Mandalay highway in Monywa Township, Sagaing Region, according to the Chindwin Attack Force.
Two junta soldiers were killed in the attack and two civilians died in random shooting by the regime forces, the civilian resistance group said.
The regime appears to be facing a growing number of attacks from PDFs and ethnic armed groups across the country.
Meanwhile, the regime has continued its atrocities, including the arbitrary killings of civilians, using civilians as human shields, bombarding residential areas, looting and burning houses and committing sexual violence, especially in Magwe and Sagaing regions and Chin, Shan and Kayah states.
More than 10,000 people have been arrested since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.
More than 1,200 civilians have been killed by security forces, according to a local monitoring group cited by the United Nations, which the junta has accused of bias.
