Myanmar junta troops kill at least nine civilians, including human shields, in Magway Region

Regime forces killed at least nine civilians late last week during four days of raids targeting villages west of the junta-controlled town of Pwintbyu in Magway Region, local sources said. Five of the nine died on Saturday when junta troops forced them to cross a minefield near Ka Ni, a village roughly 12 miles west of Pwintbyu, according to resistance forces active in the area. “Junta troops detained 12 civilians from Ka Ni and nearby villages on Friday following intense fighting that broke out near Ka Ni on Thursday [September 4],” a representative of Pwintbyu Township’s People Defence Team told Myanmar Now. “They shot one man dead at the cell tower near Ka Ni on Saturday. The remaining detainees were forced to cross a mine-laden area as [the junta troops] attempted to pull back from the village.” The other six detained villagers suffered injuries, with two reported to be in critical condition, according to local resistance forces. The incident occurred after junta troops stationed at the monastery in Ka Ni came under attack by resistance forces and attempted to withdraw toward Yae Poke Ka Lay, a village situated roughly four miles to the northeast. The Pwintbyu-based defence team claimed that junta troops also suffered heavy casualties. “The minefield was active after most of the residents fled the village but we couldn’t protect those who stayed behind,” a local resistance fighter said. “I’d like to urge everyone to avoid encountering military soldiers and to take precautions to stay safe.” Clashes erupted in Pwintbyu Township after a column of junta troops advanced into rural areas west of the town of Pwintbyu on September 3. After fighting broke out near the village of Hpa Lan Kyin that day, around 150 junta troops carried out arson attacks in Ma Gyi Su, a village about three miles to the west. Junta troops also shot two men, both in their 40s, dead in Ma Gyi Su during the raid, according to local sources. “They put the bodies inside burning houses. At least five houses in Ma Gyi Su were also destroyed in the arson attack,” a man close to the resistance forces said. The body of another man, still unidentified, was also discovered in a creek near the village of Western Lay Ein Su on Sunday, local sources said. Junta troops also arrested at least 10 others during the raids on September 3 and 4 but later released them, local sources said. Resistance forces estimate that more than 20,000 people from 15 villages have been displaced since junta troops began carrying out raids in resistance-held areas of Pwintbyu Township in early September. “Residents can’t return to their villages at the moment because these areas need to be cleared of landmines planted inside bomb shelters by junta troops,” a resistance fighter said.

Myanmar junta troops kill at least nine civilians, including human shields, in Magway Region

Most of the victims died of their injuries after being forced to walk across a minefield in Magway’s Pwintbyu Township on Saturday, sources there said

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