According to statements from People’s Defense Forces (PDF), 102 members of the military council forces were killed during battles across Myanmar on March 18. The PDFs from various regions confirmed casualties on the military council’s side during clashes that occurred in multiple locations. The battles took place across different states and regions as PDFs engaged in defensive operations against military council offensives.
The People’s Defense Forces have been fighting back against the military council troops who have been committing violence against local civilians, conducting arbitrary arrests, and engaging in looting. The military council forces have been forcing civilians into military service and arresting local residents to replace deceased soldiers. As a result, PDFs have been actively resisting these brutal actions of the military council forces to protect civilians.
Yangon Modern News Agency notes that when reporting military casualty figures, they rely solely on official statements and communications from local defense forces, and have not been able to independently verify actual casualties on the ground. However, it has been observed that PDF statements about battle situations tend to be accurate in their reporting. The news agency emphasizes transparency about their sourcing and verification limitations while continuing to report on developments in the ongoing conflict.
