Myanmar junta-aligned militia defect to rebels during heavy clashes

Myanmar anti-coup fighters briefly seized several border outposts after junta-aligned militia defected and joined the rebels, sparking days of heavy clashes, state media reported on Thursday.

Fighting has ravaged swathes of the country since the military's 2021 putsch, with some established ethnic rebel groups training and fighting alongside newer "People's Defence Forces" against the junta.

Rugged Kayah state on the border with Thailand has become a resistance hotspot, hosting thousands of democracy protesters turned PDF fighters.

Five border posts in the state manned by Border Guard Force (BGF) troops had come under "massive attacks" from anti-coup fighters between 13-19 June, state media said.

The military had suffered casualties in officers and other ranks, it said, without giving details.

Dozens of junta troops had defected, according to the opposition National Unity Government that is made up mostly of ousted lawmakers and which is working to overturn the coup.

PDF groups have surprised the military with their effectiveness, analysts say, and have dragged the military into a bloody quagmire.

In February, the junta admitted it did not "fully control" more than a third of the country's townships.

On Thursday a bridge on a highway linking commercial hub Yangon with the Thai border was mined and partially destroyed, local media reported.

A drone attack on soldiers and officials inspecting the damage killed two and injured dozens, according to a military source who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Battling fierce opposition on the ground, experts say the military is resorting to artillery strikes and air power.

On Tuesday a military airstrike on a village in northern Sagaing region -- another hotbed of resistance to junta rule -- killed ten civilians, locals and media reports said.