Mizzima
Intense fighting initiated by Military Council troops against resistance targets has driven more than 10,000 residents to flee their homes in the southern region of Pale Township, located in the Sagaing Region, according to local reports.
The Military Council troops began their operations, including column movements and shelling, on the morning of 11 September.
According to a local source interviewed by Mizzima, these internally displaced people (IDPs) in Pale are struggling as they flee.
A Pale resident said, “The majority of the IDPs in Pale are using oxen carts as they search for temporary shelter in the forest to avoid shelling. They urgently need umbrellas, raincoats and warm clothing to endure the constant downpours during the monsoon season.”
According to the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA), an intense clash broke out on 11 September between a Military Council column consisting of over 85 soldiers and local joint resistance forces. The battle lasted for approximately an hour, taking place between Kyun Bo Gone and Nweshout Villages in Pale Township, Sagaing Region. The report states that six soldiers from the Military Council were killed and at least 10 others sustained injuries.
BNRA is a resistance movement raised by people from the Sagaing, Magway and Mandalay regions to uproot the military junta
During the battle, the Military Council's ground column retaliated by using machine guns for approximately 20 minutes. Additionally, local residents expressed their fear due to the heavy artillery shelling that occurred during the night.
A local resident said, "Whenever the Military Column enters the villages for raids, they always initiate by firing artillery. During the night, they repeatedly engage in artillery shelling. As a result, we try to stay as far away from the village as possible as we are terrified of the shelling."
Locals reported that the column, believed to comprise approximately 85 soldiers, moved to Supokekone village in Pale township on 13 September.
As a result of the ongoing raids by the Military Council column in the villages of Pale township, local residents have reported that over 10,000 people from Ingyinsu, Nweshout, Mangyikwa, Nyaungkone, Kyun Bo Gone, Hlawkar, and Supokekone villages have fled.
