Fighting in Myanmar kills at least 15 after uprising call

Fifteen to 20 villagers including several teenagers have been reported killed in some of Myanmar’s deadliest fighting since July between government troops and resistance forces

BANGKOK -- Fifteen to 20 villagers, including several teenagers, have been killed in some of Myanmar’s deadliest fighting since July between government troops and resistance forces, a villager and reports by independent media said Friday. The fighting near Gangaw township in the northwestern Magway region started on Thursday, two days after a call for a nationwide uprising was issued by the National Unity Government, a opposition organization that seeks to coordinate resistance to military rule. The fighting broke out when more than 100 troops arrived in four military vehicles to secure the area in Myin Thar and five other nearby villages, a resident told The Associated Press by phone. Members of a lightly armed village self-defense militia fired warning shots but could not stop the soldiers from entering the area and clashes continued after that, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity to safeguard his personal security.