Four members of a defence team in Sagaing Region’s Khin-U Township were killed on Saturday after they were caught trying to plant mines, according to a spokesperson for their group.
The incident occurred near the village of Magyitone, about 5km east of the town of Khin-U, said Japan Gyi, the spokesperson for the Khin-U Dynamite Squad.
“They were preparing for an attack on one junta column, but another that was scouting the area came along and shot them all dead,” he said.
All four of the victims, whose identities were not disclosed, were in their 20s, according to Japan Gyi. None of them were armed, he added.
“They weren’t carrying any weapons, as our group doesn’t have very many,” he said, adding that the bodies were collected and cremated the next day.
Pro-junta social media pages claimed that one handmade gun, two explosive devices, and two rolls of wire were seized from the dead resistance fighters.
Local defence teams claim that there are many members of the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia based in Magyitone, including many in plainclothes.
The Khin-U Dynamite Squad collaborates with forces under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG). It recently informed the NUG in a report that it had been cheated out of 40m kyat ($19,000) in an attempted arms purchase.
Khin-U has been a major stronghold of anti-junta forces since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021. According to a report by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, at least 140 battles were fought in the township in the first half of this year.
