During the clashes with the Kokang rebels, near the border with China, 47 soldiers were dead and 73 were wounded, the report said. There was no any information provided about casualties among rebels.
The armed conflict between the military and ethnic minority groups broke out Monday after rebels from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army of Kokang province captured eight weapons from a local militia, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported. The army carried out five airstrikes in retort.
According to the report, the Kokang guerilla forces "were found to be good at military maneuvering with the use of scores of heavy weapons including anti-aircraft machine guns".
Numerous ethnic groups in Myanmar strive for their independence. Government efforts try to reach a peace agreement, while violent actions still erupt in some continuous conflicts.
"We hope that relevant parties in northern Myanmar can resolve their differences via continuing to uphold peaceful talks and prevent the clashes from escalating and affecting border stability,” a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, claimed.
