Army clashes with anti-junta militia in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city

Myanmar security forces backed by armored vehicles on Tuesday clashed with a newly formed militia group in Mandalay, the country's second-biggest city, according to social media posts from the group and media reports. Since the army seized power on February 1 and removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the security forces have quashed protests opposing military rule. In response, groups of opponents of the coup known as people's defense forceshave sprung up across Myanmar.

Up to now, fighting involving lightly armed militias has been mainly confined to small towns and rural areas. But a group claiming to be Mandalay's new People's Defence Force said its members responded after the army raided one of its bases. "We retaliated as one of our guerrilla base camps was invaded," said a post on the group's Facebook page from a Maj. Zeekwat.

The army supported by three armored vehicles had surrounded a boarding school in Mandalay where the militia had a base, the Khit Thit news service reported.

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