Myanmar army beheads two civilians and a resistance fighter during raids in Kani, Sagaing Region

Junta soldiers killed two civilians and a member of the resistance this week in Sagaing Region’s Kani Township, beheading the men in question, according to sources on the ground. A 70-soldier Myanmar army column based in Kani’s administrative centre carried out raids on villages west of the town on Monday, reportedly murdering the individuals in question between the communities of Htoo and Taung Pauk. The bodies were found the following day and cremated by area residents. “They cut off the resistance fighter’s head and hung it on a fence,” said a member of the anti-junta People’s Defence Team, whose comrade was the individual slain. He did not reveal the name of the man; the identities of the two civilians killed alongside him were not confirmed. Raids were also carried out east of Kani in Nyaung Pin Win, Ta Zei Chaung, Shan Myaung and Min Kone. Junta troops burnt down some 100 houses in Nyaung Pin Win, and 40 each in Ta Zei Chaung and Min Kone. The military council has not released any information on its activities in Kani Township. Resistance forces have reported several recent junta airstrikes on villages in the area which the military believes are harbouring guerrilla fighters, including on Nat Gyi, on the banks of the Chindwin River on Tuesday, and on communities on Kani’s border with Budalin Township the following day. Two women in the township were injured in the airstrikes on Wednesday, according to a local volunteer. The battle for Kani town Located on the western bank of the Chindwin River, Kani is important to the regime as a transit point for transporting weapons and ammunition to resistance strongholds north of Monywa, where the junta’s Northwestern Regional Military Command is headquartered 30 miles away. Anti-junta forces from Yinmabin, Salingyi, and Pale townships launched an attack on Kani on March 2, and although they managed to maintain the upper hand for around a week, they were ultimately forced to abandon the effort after more than 10 days of fighting. They reportedly seized several weapons and rounds of ammunition during the clashes, and at one point, captured a strategic military camp at a pagoda, where the junta had built bunkers and dug trenches to ward off attacks. At the time of the assault the military stationed more than 100 troops around the town, including at Kani’s police station, general administration office, public hospital, and school. They also launched more than 50 airstrikes and dropped over 100 bombs on Kani using Harbin Y-12 turboprop planes. Eleven resistance force members were killed and 35 injured in the battles, according to the publicly mandated National Unity Government. The junta has not released a death toll from its side. Thousands of residents from at least three wards in Kani have fled the town and were in need of basic assistance at the time of reporting, according to local relief workers. Ma Phoo, who is in charge of an area aid group, said that rice paddies and stores were lost in the military’s indiscriminate assault on Kani, creating food insecurity. “Many of the farmers’ stored rice was also destroyed by the army,” she explained, adding that the needs were “very high.” The recent village raids east and west of Kani have meant that those displaced by the fighting have not yet felt safe enough to return. UN estimates suggest that 24,000 people have been displaced in Kani and Kalay townships alone. Resistance forces seized four towns in Sagaing Region last year: Kawlin, Khampat, Mawlu and Shwe Pyi Aye; Kawlin was recaptured by the military in February.

Myanmar army beheads two civilians and a resistance fighter during raids in Kani, Sagaing Region

The killings were perpetrated west of the town of Kani as the military attempts to drive resistance forces out of the area with ground attacks and airstrikes

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