A military column brutally killed an internally displaced couple and burned down homes in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, according to a representative from the Kyunhla Activists Group. On August 31st at 8:30 AM, approximately 100 soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee militia members from the Chapsinhtaing camp moved towards Punagyi village. The column launched drone attacks with 4 bombs on Okyin Kyi village and Hto Kone village.
The troops then shot and killed a displaced couple – Ko Zaw Myo Hlaing, age 45, and Ma Ma Ma Thin, age 44 – who were taking shelter from Punagyi village. The soldiers mutilated the victims’ faces and heads with knives after killing them. They also burned down 4 temporary shelters where displaced people were staying. At 10 AM that day, when the column reached east of Punagyi village, they were ambushed by members of Kanbalu District Battalion 2 and local defense forces, resulting in at least 7 junta soldiers being seriously wounded.
Five of the injured soldiers had to be transported by ox cart while two others were carried away on stretchers, according to battle reports. The fighting lasted approximately 1.5 hours, after which the military column, having suffered casualties, retreated back to Chapsinhtaing camp at 11:30 AM rather than continuing to advance. Local sources confirmed that while the 7 injured soldiers sustained severe wounds, their survival status could not be verified. The brutal killing of the displaced couple and destruction of civilian shelters represents another instance of the military’s ongoing campaign of violence against civilians in the region.
