Fighting near Kalay leaves at least 10 civilians dead

At least 10 civilians were killed by fighting in Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township over the weekend following a series of resistance attacks on villages controlled by the pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia. In a statement released on Sunday, the Kalay People’s Defence Force (PDF) said that it had captured the Pyu Saw Htee village of Kyaung Taik, about five miles north of the town of Kalay, on Saturday after two days of fighting. The junta forces retreated to the nearby village of Aung Myin Thar, which is also dominated by the Pyu Saw Htee, the statement said. At least five junta troops and two resistance fighters were reportedly killed in the clashes. The fighting also claimed the lives of at least three civilians, according to a local volunteer. “Two villagers who were injured passed away yesterday, and we also received a body from Kyaung Taik this morning,” the volunteer said, speaking to Myanmar Now on Monday. Further casualties were also reported in the surrounding area after the junta forces opened fire with heavy artillery. In Pyin Khon Lay, a village less than two miles south of Kyaung Taik, junta shelling killed three people and injured two others on Saturday, sources said. “The deceased were two women and a child. There was no fighting in Pyin Khon Lay, but it was close to the fighting zone and so it was targeted by junta shelling,” said a source close to local resistance forces. There were also unconfirmed reports that junta shelling carried out between March 14 and 16 had killed two people in the village of Let Pan Chaung and injured six others. On Sunday, a drone attack by regime forces killed two people, including a child, and injured six in the village of Thar Yar Wa Di. Myanmar Now was unable to independently verify the exact number of civilian casualties. Local sources said the death toll was expected to rise as clashes in the area continued. The fighting has also forced many residents to flee their homes. “My family fled to Kalay yesterday at around 10am. There is a checkpoint at the entrance of the town, but they [junta troops] let us through,” said a woman from the village of Se Taw Oo who spoke to Myanmar Now on Monday. “We were hearing the sound of artillery fire until this morning. We also heard that two people from Kyaung Taik village were killed by the shelling on Saturday,” she added. Kalay, which has a military command centre, remains under the control of junta troops. Regime forces occupy at least five positions in the town, including Kalay University.

Fighting near Kalay leaves at least 10 civilians dead

Most of the victims were killed by junta artillery or drone attacks carried out in response to clashes for control of a Pyu saw Htee village

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