Western fighters are joining rebel groups in Myanmar

Last Updated on May 21, 2024 10:11 am

Western volunteer fighters are joining the fight against the Myanmar junta. Foreign fighters are already present among rebel armed groups. But the number is slowly increasing. Among them are a former British soldier and an American soldier.

They voluntarily joined the anti-junta party. Al Jazeera. Myanmar generals seized power more than three years ago, say Western fighters who volunteered to fight with the rebels.

Myanmar protesters who were peacefully protesting were also killed. They came to fight on behalf of the anti-juntas inspired by the resistance struggle of the rebels against the Myanmar army, one of the most brutal and modern weapons in Southeast Asia.

Jason (pseudonym) served as an infantryman in the British Army for four years from 2009. He was also in Afghanistan for seven months. Jason said he returned home from eastern Myanmar at the end of last April after eight weeks on the frontline fighting against the junta forces in Myanmar.

According to Jason, Myanmar’s resistance fighters are not like the attitude of the army he has seen in most places. There is no fear in their eyes. They are brave people.

Ethnic armed groups have been battling the military for decades. Foreign volunteers also sometimes helped. These fights took place mainly in the border areas. But after the military coup on February 1, 2021, the fight moved from the border to the center.

The Myanmar junta has been accused of using Russian-made warplanes to carry out indiscriminate attacks and kill civilians. Village after village has been burned. The UN and human rights organizations have described these incidents as potential war crimes.