Civilian Casualties

Elderly IDP among civilians killed, beheaded by military in Depayin Township

Since mid-October, residents of western Depayin Township, Sagaing Region have repeatedly discovered the bodies of fellow civilians killed and sometimes dismembered by raiding junta forces, according to local people and resistance sources.  In the past week alone, four bodies were found in Thein Bar village, two in Shan Taw village, and one each in Min Te Kone and Boke Htan villages.  At least five of the victims had been beheaded, including 60-year-old Nyo Win, villagers and defence group members said. Sources noted that it had only been possible to determine five of the victims’ identities, but that all of them were known to be civilians. Junta soldiers setting fires in western Depayin Township on August 3, 2022 (Supplied) A column of around 150 troops had been present in the area from October 18, according to local residents.  Nyo Win, an internally displaced person (IDP) whose body was found in Min Te Kone, had been sheltering there with his older sister after fleeing his home, according to Ko Phyo, a spokesperson for a Depayin-based resistance group.  “The two of them were taken captive in the forest near Min Te Kone. The captors took the 70-year-old Hla Shin’s earrings,” Ko Phyo said,…