At least 71 Myanmar junta soldiers surrender or captured amid clashes with Arakan Army

Mizzima

At least 71 Myanmar junta soldiers have surrendered or been captured during ongoing clashes with the Arakan Army (AA), the ethnic armed group announced on 11 November.

Fighting has been intensifying across several fronts, including the Laylar Mountain area near Naungkyo village in Padaung Township, Bago Region; around the Defence Equipment Manufacturing Factory 16; Natyaykan strategic hill along the Ann–Padan highway on the Magway–Rakhine border; near Thabaungkalay village in Thabaung Township; and around Set Set Yo and Chin Le villages in Lemyethna Township, Ayeyarwady Region.

The AA said that many newly recruited junta soldiers were unwilling to fight and fled the battlefield daily, with some surrendering to AA forces and others being captured.

Between 8 and 10 November, a total of 31 military personnel either surrendered or were captured, including Corporal Myo Min Tun from the Field Medical Battalion 9 based in Kholan, 20 soldiers from clashes near Defence Equipment Manufacturing Factory 16, and 10 from fighting around Laylar Mountain, according to the AA statement.

In addition, more than 40 junta soldiers were either captured or defected between 3 October and 7 November during fighting near Thabaungkalay village in Thabaung Township and in the Set Set Yo and Chin Le areas of Lemyethna Township, the group said.

Nearly all of those who surrendered were reportedly forcibly conscripted by the junta in 2025, including minors and high school students.