Regime forces raided several villages around the town of Sadaung in Sagaing Township last week, apparently in response to a video posted on social media showing fully armed resistance fighters in the town.
A junta column of more than 100 soldiers carried out the raids, which took place between June 13 and June 15, according to Thet Naing Aung, the leader of the Zero Guerrilla Force, an anti-regime group based in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township.
Thet Naing Aung—also known as Thet Gyi—and other members of his group entered Sadaung on June 6 and three days later posted a video of themselves in the town.
Days later, troops from Light Infantry Division 33 began attacking villages in the area, torching hundreds of houses.
The worst hit was Thar Zin, a village located about 5km west of Sadaung that lost about 600 homes, according to locals. A woman in her 60s was also killed and around 40 residents who were trapped in the village were taken hostage, they added.
A day after the June 13 attack on Thar Zin, the regime soldiers targeted two other villages southwest of Sadaung—Inn Sa and Aing Dan Ma—which each lost several houses, sources said.
The final target was Pauk Ma, about 10km northwest of Sadaung, which was raided on June 15. According to resistance sources, almost the entire northern part of the village was destroyed by fires set by the junta column.
Local defence teams and other resistance forces, including the Zero Guerrilla Force, said they ambushed the column repeatedly during the three days of raids.
As many as 10 regime soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting, they added. No deaths were reported among the resistance fighters, but at least four were wounded.
According to Thet Naing Aung, the raids were likely unrelated to the video of him and other members of his group in Sadaung, which was occupied by regime forces on June 12.
“They were planning to attack here, anyway, so it was most likely just a coincidence that it happened when it did,” he said.
After receiving reinforcements from Mandalay Region, the junta column reportedly made its way north towards neighbouring Wetlet Township, where it was expected to continue its attacks.
According to Data for Myanmar, the military and pro-junta militias have destroyed more than 60,000 civilian homes and other buildings around the country since the coup in February 2021.
The majority of incidents were in Sagaing and Magway regions and Chin State, according to the monitor group.
