At least 80 Myanmar military soldiers were killed in clashes with anti-coup fighters in the country's eastern Kayah State, the fighters said.
In a Facebook post, the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), a new group of civilian fighters, said the clashes occurred when 150 troops marched from the state capital of Lolkaw to Demoso on Monday afternoon.
One of the fighters was killed and six others injured on Monday in shootouts which lasted into the evening.
“By 5 p.m. on Monday, more than 80 soldiers were confirmed dead and, in retaliation, the military used jet fighters, helicopters and launched artillery on Demoso,” the group said in a statement.
Fighting between the junta and the Karenni resistance broke out in Demoso on May 21 and has since spread beyond.
At least eight fighters and 23 civilians were killed by junta forces in 10 days, according to local daily The Irrawady.
Some 100,000 residents have fled their homes and sought refuge in places of worship and the forest, the daily added quoting local sources.
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