The military detained nearly 20 villagers for checking on their homes after they were attacked by the regime in Magwe Region.
“Burma army soldiers burned almost all the houses in Yin Kel,” an officer from the Khonu battalion of the Kanpetlet Chinland Defense Force (CDF) said, after the regime suffered many casualties during previous fighting. Out of the 350 homes in the village, 300 were burned to the ground.
He mentioned that the junta soldiers were hiding in the village in Hsaw Township near the border of Chin State, and when some residents returned, they were taken away to a military camp in Lawng Shay.
The junta sent soldiers to Yin Kel after its military convoy came under fire by the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and CDF nearby on the morning of July 15.
Soldiers from the convoy, which was carrying food rations for a military camp in Kyin Dwe, in Kanpetlet Township, Chin State, retaliated with heavy weapons. A child was injured, and shelling destroyed some of the homes during the fighting that continued throughout the day.
The resistance groups attacked the same column near the village a day earlier. During both days, many wounded junta soldiers were taken to Lawng Shay, while no one from the opposition forces were injured.
According to the CDF officer, the convoy originating from Lawng Shay had nearly 300 BA soldiers, two tanks, a joint combat vehicle, and over 20 military trucks.
Expecting airstrikes, the CDF has issued warnings to civilians to take safety precautions.
Reportedly, 200 junta soldiers are also on their way to the Chin Hill from an artillery battalion base in Kyaukhtu in Magwe Region.