At least five military council soldiers have been killed in intense fighting in Yepu village, Nyaungshwe Township, Southern Shan State, according to confirmation from the Information Department of the Southern Shan State Military Region’s Strategy 1 People’s Defense Force. The battles, which began on June 2, continue to rage as the military council and its affiliated Pa-O National Organization forces commit acts of violence against local civilians.
Over a thousand military council troops have entered the conflict zone, where they are reportedly forcing local residents into military service, extorting money, and subjecting civilians to torture and abuse. Additionally, fighting has broken out in Kontha village along the Southern Shan and Karenni border, where the Karenni National Defense Force and Pekon PDF Battalion 1006 are jointly engaging military council forces.
The military council’s airstrikes and artillery attacks have resulted in civilian casualties, with three civilians, including women and children, killed and six others injured. Due to the intensity of the fighting, local residents have been warned to avoid conflict areas and remain vigilant for their safety. The military council forces, guided by PNO/PNA militia, are conducting operations in villages where they continue to forcibly recruit civilians, demand money, and perpetrate abuses against villagers, according to statements from the Southern Shan State Military Region’s Strategy 1 PDF Information Department.
