Junta troops killed at least six people and torched hundreds of houses during a three-day rampage in Sagaing Region’s Kawlin Township that began on Sunday, according to local sources.
Around 100 soldiers based in the village of Koe Htaung Boe in Kanbalu Township carried out a series of raids targeting five villages after coming under attack from resistance forces late last week, residents of the area told Myanmar Now.
The first village to be hit was Zee Phyu Kone, located about 7km south of the town of Kawlin. Most residents had already fled ahead of that attack on Sunday, but the regime forces burned down 42 houses before leaving the next day, according to locals.
“They torched two houses as soon as they entered the village, and the rest on their way out,” said one resident.
On Monday, the military column moved on to the nearby village of Shaw Phyu Kone, where one man was shot in the head and back while attempting to flee. Locals identified the victim as Maung Myint, a deputy commander of the village’s defence team.
After leaving Shaw Phyu Kone, the junta troops clashed briefly with local defence teams and members of the People’s Defence Force before reaching the village of Pay Pin Chaung, where most of the casualties were reported.
According to a defence team member from Shaw Phyu Kone, four members of Pay Pin Chaung’s defence team were brutally murdered after being captured while trying to resist the junta column’s assault.
“They weren’t simply shot. One had his brains beaten out with the butt of a rifle, and another had his throat slit. The others also had brains coming out of their heads, and their eyes had been gouged out,” he said.
The victims were identified as Kan Min Soe, Ae Maung, Naing Win Tun, and Thein Aung, all residents of Pay Pin Chaung. Another man from the same village named Myint Soe was also shot dead, according to the defence team member.
“Their cruelty really knows no bounds. If we catch them, we can’t just kill them because we believe in justice. But for them, it makes no difference, they just kill everyone they find, whether they’re a civilian or a revolutionary,” he added.
On Tuesday, the regime forces raided the villages of Kokkokone and Nyaung Kone, where they carried out arson attacks that reportedly destroyed a total of more than 100 homes.
“They chose the wealthiest houses to burn down, because they want to erode support for the resistance,” said the defence team member.
