Two civilians were killed in airstrikes and raids by the Myanmar military that have forced more than 5,000 villagers to abandon their homes in Sagaing Region’s Taze Township since Sunday, according to residents.
A group of around 180 troops from Light Infantry Battalion 361 and local allied militias raided Myauk-Inn village in northern Taze on Monday morning, setting fire to houses. One woman was killed as flames consumed 33 houses and grain silos, according to residents.
The troops occupied two villages on Tuesday, forcing more than 5,000 residents from nearby villages to flee their homes, said residents.
One resident told The Irrawaddy that fresh troops had just been deployed to the area on rotation.
“They have outposts [in northern Taze]. Soldiers there are rotated every four months. So, they were rotated to the rear, and fresh troops came to the front line. Residents from nearby villages, however, fled out of fear,” he said.
The woman killed in the arson attack was an invalid, said another Taze resident.
“She was on oxygen. She could barely move. Villagers had to flee quickly, and she said she would stay.”
The junta outposts are located just south of Myauk-Inn village, a stronghold of junta-allied Pyu Saw Htee militias. The village lies on the road linking Kantbalu and Taze towns and is frequently raided by junta forces, said residents.
On Sunday, a regime jet fighter attacked Taze’s Inn village, killing one man and injuring three including a Buddhist monk, said locals. The warplane dropped three bombs – two 500-pounders and one 200-pounder, according to residents.
The bombs landed near the village monastery and school.
“A man who lived near the monastery was hit in the leg and died from blood loss,” a resident told The Irrawaddy.
Villagers fled following the bombing raid.
“We dare not stay in the village as they are attacking non-military targets. We have built small huts near the forest not far from our village and are staying there,” said a local from Inn village.
Junta troops killed a total of 11 residents during raids on villages in western Taze from Feb. 21 to March 3, according to the Ye-U Township-based People’s Defense Comrade and Taze People’s Defense Team.
Junta forces also carried out arson attacks on five villages in Taze between Feb. 21 and Feb. 28, according to Taze News, a group documenting regime attacks in Taze Township.
