Regime soldiers abducted two civilians and burnt down their grocery shop in Hpakant township, Kachin State, on Wednesday 14 September, in a raid on a village where resistance fighters were reportedly staying.
About 180 soldiers in seven trucks arrived at Maden Yang (also known as Maw Pon) in Lon Khin village around 4am, according to a local source who asked not to be named.
”Some PDF soldiers were staying in the village’s bamboo huts when the Burma Army (BA) soldiers entered and there was an exchange of fire,” he said.
Another anonymous source said the owners of the shop were not affiliated with the PDF yet the soldiers torched their shop and two vehicles.
Many people have fled the village where the soldiers are staying, but half of the 2,000 residents are still trapped there, a man who took shelter in Lon Khin village told KNG on condition of anonymity.
“I heard that the Kachin Independence Army has also arrived in the area. We are still hearing gunshots.”
The displaced villagers have also fled to San Hkar and Seng Yar, where they have taken shelter in Buddhist monasteries, schools, churches or with relatives.
At the time of going to press, the KNG could not confirm whether there were any fatalities in Maden Yang.
