The headless bodies of six local defence team members were found in three villages near the town of Pale in Sagaing Region following clashes in the area earlier this week, according to resistance sources.
The victims were captured during fighting that took place on Tuesday near the villages of Nyaungbintha, Sin Shin, and Min Taing Pin, all located west of Pale, Zaw Tun, the spokesperson for the Pale Township People’s Defence Team, told Myanmar Now.
“We found them and cremated them that evening,” he said, adding that the bodies of the beheaded resistance fighters were found scattered in several locations around the three villages.
According to Zaw Tun, some of the roughly 120 soldiers in the army column that took part in the clashes were wearing uniforms similar to those of the anti-junta People’s Defence Force.
The junta troops responsible for the killings were from the military’s Light Infantry Division 44, he added.
Regime forces have reportedly been stationed in the village of Sayti Kone, near Nyaungbintha and Min Taing Pin, since last month. More than 10,000 residents of 28 villages in the area are believed to have fled recent raids by the army column.
Arson attacks by junta troops have destroyed at least 175 houses in eight villages since January 7, according to local sources.
At least one civilian—a 60-year-old man from the village of Htan Taw—has also been killed, the sources added.
Meanwhile, there were also reports that members of the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia based in the village of Zee Phyu Kone had been seen looting houses in Min Taing Pin.
The Pyu Saw Htee members were using oxcarts to transport stolen goods from Min Taing Pin to Zee Phyu Kone, sources there said.
Soldiers have also been slaughtering and eating livestock left behind by fleeing villagers, displaced residents claimed.
Myanmar Now has been unable to reach junta officials for comment on statements about the actions of soldiers in Pale Township and other parts of Sagaing Region.
