Myanmar Junta Bombs Rebel Villages

Myanmar’s fighters bombed ten villages in Katha Township, Sagaing Region, forcing thousands of Burmese people to flee their homes.

Junta forces burned houses in Moetar village, Tike Kone ward on January 22-23 after three days of intense clashes with local resistance forces nearby, The Irrawady reported citing local residents.

“Regime forces entered Tike Kone ward on Sunday, a day after resistance forces retreated following clashes. They continued to burn house until this morning,” a representative of Katha People’s Administration Group told the outlet on Monday.

Thousands of residents have fled to Katha town while many others are thought to be sheltering in forest and farmland, he said.

Regime forces sent two fighter jets to torch targets in Moetar village after suffering heavy losses in a clash that erupted when a combined unit of the Katha-People Defense Force and All Burma Student’s Front (ABSDF) ambushed a military detachment of around 100 troops from heading to the village.

The airstrikes reportedly killed eight villagers, mostly women, and injured 30 others. The lethal attacks prompted several thousand residents of Moetar and surrounding villages to flee their homes.

The fierce clashes continued until January 20 when regime forces deployed fighter jets and helicopter gunships to attack the resistance fighters while dropping reinforcements by helicopter.