YANGON, 23 June 2021, (TON): Authorities and military sources said that four protesters and at least two officers were killed as Myanmar soldiers battled an anti-junta civilian militia with small arms and grenades in the country’s second city.

Fighting has flared across Myanmar since the February coup as people form “defense forces” to battle a brutal military crackdown on dissent, but clashes have largely been restricted to rural areas.

Acting on a tip-off, security forces raided a house in Mandalay’s Chan Mya Tharsi township, the junta’s information team said in a statement, and were met with small arms fire and grenades.

Two officers were killed during the raid, military sources said, and at least ten were wounded.

A junta spokesman said in a statement “four terrorists were killed and eight arrested in possession of homemade mines, hand grenades and small arms.

“We could hear artillery shooting even though our house is far from that place,” a Mandalay resident said.

Another four members of the self-defense group were killed when the car they were attempting to flee in crashed, the spokesman said, without providing details.