A combined force of junta troops and allied Pyu Saw Htee militia killed six civilians in Kantbalu Township, Sagaing Region in the final week of August, residents said.
A column comprising over 100 soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members raided villages in southern Kantbalu on August 23. They torched five homes in Thayet Gaung village and killed three residents of other villages as they fled, said local charity and information group Kyun Hla.
The victims were 19-year-old Ye Min, from Yin Khat Kone village, and U Kan Tun, 60, and Kaung Myat, 25, from In Inn Taw Pauk village.
U Kan Tun’s body was dumped in water with his hands tied behind his back, while Kaung Myat was killed as he confronted the troops, the group said.
On August 25, the junta force raided Sesone Gyi and Ywar Thit villages, firing indiscriminately and forcing residents to flee. Troops remained stationed at the two villages for four days and killed three residents.
A local said the troops have now left Khin-U Township but around 20,000 residents from 20 villages have fled their homes to escape frequent raids by junta troops and their allied militia.
“There are around 20 Pyu Saw Htee villages in the township. Combined forces of soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee destroy villages regularly,” a resident told The Irrawaddy.
Residents have been terrorized by the township’s militia and are too fearful to return to their villages, he added.
Local charity groups said displaced civilians are in urgent need of food and medicines.
Sagaing Region is a resistance stronghold where Pyu Saw Htee militias are active in townships, forcing village residents to undergo military training.
