Myanmar junta forces reportedly killed 15 resistance fighters and three civilians during raids on a resistance camp and villages in Sagaing Township on Sunday.
Troops crossed the Irrawaddy River in Sagaing Region on Sunday morning, joining other soldiers and raiding a Nganzun People’s Defense Force (PDF) camp on the riverbank near Kin Taw village, according to resistance groups.
They said 15 resistance fighters, including two female combatants, were killed, according to a member of Sagaing District PDF that fought the regime forces on Sunday.
All the resistance members were shot or stabbed to death after being detained, he said.
The resistance group said one of the females is believed to have been raped by junta soldiers before being killed.
Her body was found on her hands and knees after being handcuffed and beaten, the resistance leader told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
A resistance fighter from the PDF camp escaped the junta raid with injuries.
The regime troops then raided a group of seven villages on the riverbank.
They opened fire on fleeing villagers and looted and burned houses, according to residents.
The dead bodies of three villagers killed by junta forces were found at Kin Taw and Myin Se villages.
Three clashes broke out in the area on Sunday when resistance groups blocked and attacked the junta force, which left the area in the evening.
The regime said on Sunday that it had seized some dead bodies of PDF terrorists and several weapons and ammunition during their raid.
It said it seized 27 weapons and ammunition from two nearby villages.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.
In early March, junta troops raided Tar Taing village near Kin Taw village in Sagaing Township and killed 17 detainees, including two resistance members.
