7 armed group members captured dead in fighting

Myanmar military claimed on Sunday that seven armed group members of the Shan State Army (SSA) , led by Wanhai, had been captured dead in a recent fighting between the two sides.

Some small arms and ammunition, wireless sets, mines , illegal assorted timber and vehicles were seized in the engagement on Friday, the military-run media Myawaddy reported Sunday.

One commanding officer from the military side was also killed in action among some casualties, it said.

Since May 5, the armed forces columns have carried out area consolidation operation in villages in Hsipaw and Lashio townships in Shan state as the armed group was allegedly to have encroached upon out-of-bound areas.

Although the Wanhai-led SSA has participated in meetings to discuss the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA), they have not signed it yet but now reportedly encroaching upon areas close to towns, building camps in the jungle, recruiting soldiers, collecting extorting money and troubling the local populace, the report added.

Source: XINHUA