Local residents report that villagers from Letpan village in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region, have been forced to flee after the military council’s artillery shells struck a monastery in their village. The incident occurred following clashes between resistance forces and the military council troops along the Sagaing-Mingun road between 9 PM and 11 PM on March 17. After the fighting, the military council indiscriminately fired heavy weapons at surrounding villages, with one artillery shell hitting and exploding at the monastery in Letpan village, causing significant damage to the religious building.
According to local sources, following the clash, the military council transported their casualties away in vehicles before retaliating against civilian areas with heavy artillery fire. While the extent of civilian casualties from the artillery strike remains unconfirmed, the entire village population has been forced to evacuate to safer locations. Local witnesses reported seeing military council forces covering and transporting their deceased members in vehicles before launching the artillery barrage on civilian areas.
Simultaneously, the military council has also conducted airstrikes on villages in Thaung Tha Township, Mandalay Region. The Public Movement Committee of Thaung Tha Township confirmed that around 2:48 AM on March 19, military helicopters bombed the areas near Kyipintet village and Nagabo village, accompanied by small arms fire. The committee is currently investigating the extent of civilian casualties and property damage resulting from these aerial attacks. These incidents represent an ongoing pattern of the military council’s use of disproportionate force against civilian populations, forcing residents to flee their homes and seek refuge in safer areas.
