At least 30 regime soldiers killed by Mindat locals in four-day battle 

Local resistance fighters armed with simple hunting rifles say they have killed at least 30 regime soldiers during clashes in the town of Mindat, Chin State, in recent days.

Three were killed on Saturday–when the four-day long battle started–and 17 in two later clashes, said a fighter from the newly formed Chinland Defense Force (CDF)

“A lot of them were killed during the battle yesterday,” he told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. “At least 10 of them.” No one from the CDF was killed or injured, he added. 

Myanmar Now was unable to independently verify the figures.

Fighting began when a group of protesters near the town’s Aung San statue demanded the release of six of their comrades who had been detained and a member of the regime’s forces reportedly shot at someone, leading protesters to retaliate. 

It quickly escalated into the four-day battle as the junta sent reinforcements to the town, with CDF members ambushing their trucks before they arrived. 

On Tuesday the regime side and Mindat residents negotiated a prisoner swap, the CDF fighter said. 

His side allowed 20 soldiers who were trapped about 30 miles west of Mindat to leave the area while authorities released seven local residents who had been detained. 

“A deal was made at around 9pm… The deal was that their people must get out of Mindat and they left Mindat last night,” the CDF fighter said. 

The reason the CDF killed so many soldiers while sustaining no casualties was that they surprised them with ambushes outside of town. Local residents are familiar with the mountainous terrain and experienced at using their guns, said Nway Oo Zalat, a protest leader from Mindat.

“Since we are regular hunters, we are very familiar with our region. We are also strong minded in our beliefs. We are very united,” he said.