Myanmar Anti-Coup Fighters Defect and Seize Border Outposts

 In Myanmar, anti-coup fighters have made a major push against the junta-aligned militia, seizing several border outposts after members of the Border Guard Force (BGF) troops defected and joined the rebels.

The clashes, which began on June 13th, have taken place in the Kayah state, located on the border with Thailand. The state media reported on Thursday that the anti-coup fighters had launched a "massive attack" on five posts manned by BGF troops over the course of the week.

The BGF is made up of former ethnic rebels who now work with the military in exchange for local autonomy and business rights. Communications with one of the posts, Pantain, southeast Kayah, were cut off for several days and the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar reported that some of the BGF troops had defected, taking weapons and ammunition with them.

The military eventually regained control of the Pantain post on June 17th and another post in Sukpaing on June 27th, but not without suffering casualties in officers and other ranks. The National Unity Government, formed by ousted lawmakers, reported that dozens of junta troops had defected.

The People's Defence Forces, comprised of democracy protesters, have been training and fighting alongside established ethnic rebel groups against the junta, and have surprised the military with their effectiveness.

In February, the junta admitted that it did not "fully control" more than a third of the country's townships. On Thursday, a bridge on a highway linking Yangon with the Thai border was mined and destroyed.

A drone attack on the security forces and civilians inspecting the damage killed two people and wounded ten. An officer from the ethnic rebel Karen National Liberation Army stated that their troops and the PDF fighters had mined the bridge.

The KNLA has been a vocal opponent of the coup and has provided shelter to dissidents working to oust the junta. The military has resorted to artillery strikes and air power in order to battle the fierce opposition on the ground.

On Tuesday, a military airstrike on a village in northern Sagaing region killed ten civilians, according to locals and media reports. The military denied carrying out the strike and accused the PDF of planting landmines in the area. The opposition to the military coup in Myanmar continues to grow and intensify, with anti-coup fighters and former ethnic rebels joining forces to overthrow the junta.

The ongoing fighting has caused great devastation across the country, and the junta's use of air and artillery strikes is only worsening the situation. It remains to be seen how long the junta can sustain its hold on power in the face of this mounting resistance.