Battle of Kuyin Valley – 19 Junta soldiers killed six more captured

Narinjara News, March 14, 2023

The clash between Military Council troops and local defense forces occurred on March 11th in the valley of Kuyin village situated in Pekon township, sharing a border with the Shan-Kayah (Karenni) region.

According to Pekon PDF Battalion 2, during the battle they seized 19 bodies, including the platoon commander of the Military Council, 6 soldiers captured and held as prisoners of war, and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition.

“On March 11 there was a battle at around 10:00 a.m. On the Military Council side, 19 soldiers including the platoon commander were killed. 6 soldiers were captured alive. On our side, 2 comrades were injured. It is not serious. On March 12, one of our comrades was killed,” said a member of the local defense forces.

The battle resulted in the seizure of two RPGs, one 60mm mortar, two commando mortars, seven MA 1/MA2/MA3 rifles, one sniper rifle, one 9mm pistol, and one MG 3 machine gun.

In addition the Pekon PDF Battalion 2 also reported the seizure of 2 communication devices, 30 boxes of ammunition, 10 grenades, 10 landmines, 20 rifle grenades, 30 RPG shells, 3,000 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, 500 rounds of AK ammunition, and 1,500 bullets for the MG 3 machine gun.

At midnight on March 12, another skirmish erupted between PDF scouts in a forested area and the retreating Military Council troops, one member of the PKPDF2 lost their life in the exchange.