Civilians and PDF fighters found dead after junta advance in Kawlin

Myanmar junta troops advancing toward Kawlin in upper Sagaing Region clashed with resistance forces last week, while two civilians taken hostage were later found shot dead, local sources said. The column, estimated at around 200 troops from Light Infantry Battalion 120 based in Wuntho, moved eastward into Kawlin Township, where fighting was reported with members of the Wuntho People’s Defence Force (PDF) and Kawlin District PDF Battalion 1. Kawlin, a district-level town, lies about 10 miles south of Wuntho. Local sources said the troops have been conducting operations across villages on the eastern side of the township. On January 17, the column entered a market about seven miles east of Kawlin, firing as it advanced, a local defence force member told Myanmar Now. Three fighters from People’s Defence Force Battalion 1 who were scouting the area were killed in the ensuing clash.Two civilian men detained by the troops were later found shot dead near the market, the source also added. “One was from Myeni village,” a resistance fighter told Myanmar Now, referring to the killed civilian. “The other was not from this area—they were captured elsewhere and brought here.” Residents said the troops burned two market stalls before continuing their advance to a nearby village, where they occupied a Buddhist monastery overnight. The following day, January 18, local resistance groups moved in to clear the village after the column pushed further east into nearby forest. Once they arrived near the monastery, they discovered the bodies of seven Wuntho PDF members inside a pit latrine, according to a source with direct knowledge of the incident. Seven fighters were captured on January 16 during a junta raid on a Wuntho PDF outpost in a village about seven miles southeast of Wuntho and were later killed, local sources said. As of January 19, the military column was still advancing through villages in Kawlin, residents said. Thousands of civilians from villages along the column’s apparent route have fled their homes, according to local aid workers. At around 2pm on Monday, military aircraft carried out airstrikes on eastern Kawlin Township. The extent of casualties or damage was not immediately known. Kawlin was seized by forces under the National Unity Government (NUG) in November 2023, but the junta recaptured the town in February 2024 after launching a major counteroffensive.

Civilians and PDF fighters found dead after junta advance in Kawlin

Resistance groups say the civilians were detained before being killed in eastern Sagaing Region

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