Myanmar junta troops fire hundreds of houses villagers claim

• Myanmar junta troops have torched hundreds of buildings during a three-day raid, reports say.
• Sagaing region has seen fierce fighting and bloody reprisals since coup last year.
• Local “People’s Defence Force” members clashing regularly with junta forces.

Myanmar junta troops set fire to hundreds of buildings during a three-day raid in the country’s north, according to local media and people, as the military tries to squash opposition to its authority.

Since the coup last year, the Sagaing region has seen furious fighting and bloody retaliation, with local “People’s Defence Force” (PDF) fighters often clashing with junta troops.

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According to villagers and media sources, troops set fire to hundreds of buildings in the villages of Kinn, Upper Kinn, and Ke Taung over the course of three days last week.

As per one local who requested anonymity, villagers in Kinn fled on May 26 as soldiers came and began shooting into the air.

“The next morning we saw smoke rising from our village before they left.”

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Drone footage obtained by AFP purportedly showing the aftermath showed columns of smoke rising into the sky from the communities, which were located along an eight-kilometer length of the Chindwin river.

The location of a health clinic in the video matched that of one in Ke Taung village.

The clip had not been seen online until last week, according to AFP digital verification reporters, although they were unable to independently corroborate reports from the region.

Soldiers “raided and destroyed our houses,” claimed Aye Tin of Ke Taung hamlet, who requested anonymity.

“And they also burned motor boats that we use for transport and for carrying food for our village, including my boat.

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