NAYPYITAW, 31 August 2021, (TON): According to local media and statements from the groups “the Myanmar military suffered casualties during several clashes with ethnic armed groups in three different regions over the weekend.”

According to local media reports “the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Army (MNDAA) ambushed over 100 junta soldiers marching toward an MNDAA post near Monekoe in northern Shan State.

Five junta soldiers were killed, including a battalion commander and his deputy, and about 20 others were injured in the clash, according to The Kokang media outlet, which published photos of weapons and ammunition seized from junta forces on its Facebook page.

The Kachinwaves media outlet published a video that showed the bodies of junta soldiers as well as grenades and ammunition.

Colonel Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, told media that he had not been able to confirm how many junta soldiers died in the fighting.

He said “there were indeed clashes but there has been no accurate news about casualties yet.”

Kachinnet Burmese, a KIA-controlled outlet, said the KIA’s Battalion 36 under Brigade 6 retaliated against the junta’s 99th Light Infantry Division after it trespassed on KIA territory in Monekoe.

About 2,000 people living near the Chinese border in Pang Hseng and Monekoe fled their homes because of the fighting, said a volunteer who is trying to reach them to offer assistance.