In Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, a military column has committed severe atrocities against local civilians. On August 16, a military column consisting of over 200 soldiers and Pyu Saw Htee members from Tanze Township entered Kanbalu Township and burned down several villages including Ywa Thit, Kying Yoe, Kyar Pin At, Thayetdaw, Inga Daung, and Myisein Monastery. When the column entered Htein Taw village, they gang-raped a 70-year-old elderly woman before strangling her to death, according to local sources.
Additionally, the military burned and killed four civilians: Ko Zaw Oo from Ywa Thit village, Ko Pho Tayote from Yee Dwei village, and two men from Htein Taw village. In response to these brutal acts, resistance forces led by Bo Chit Thu and Bo Nwe Oo Maung from the Nyaung Paing Yin village PDF continuously engaged the military column in combat. During these clashes, six military personnel were killed while two resistance fighters sacrificed their lives in the fighting.
Currently, the military column remains stationed within local villages. Local resistance forces urgently need weapons and ammunition to continue defending against the military’s brutalities, and they have appealed to the public for support where possible. Local residents point out that such military atrocities against civilians constitute violations of international law and can be classified as war crimes. The systematic nature of these attacks, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure, demonstrates a pattern of violence that has characterized the military’s operations in the region.
