All houses in Si Thaung village burned down by Burma army airstrikes and ground troops
On 9 April around 6 a.m., two regime fighter jets attacked Si Thaung village. Following the airstrikes Burma army ground troops entered the village and set fire to all remaining houses in Si Thaung village, according to local sources.
“Two jets attacked our village in the early morning. Almost all houses in the village suffered some damage from the airstrikes. After the airstrikes, junta soldiers entered the village and burned the remaining houses. Nothing is left in our village,” the female resident of Si Thaung village, now living in Shwegu town, told KNG.
Si Thaung village is located about nine miles from eastern Shwegu town in Shwegu Township of Kachin State.
Local people said that there were a total of 150 houses in Si Thaung village. The airstrikes and ground troops also burned rice storage structures and killed chickens, pigs and cattle in the village.
The Burma army had previously launched airstrikes on Si Thaung village on 6 April. Many houses were damaged by these initial airstrikes. The 9 April attacks completed the destruction of all houses in the village.
Since 23 March, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and People’s Defense Force (PDF) had multiple intense clashes with the Burma army’s military column in eastern Shwegu Township. The Burma army had reportedly suffered many causalities during the clashes in Shwegu Township.
Since then, the Burma army has launched airstrikes in multiple locations across Shwegu Township. Burma army’s fighter jets attacked Si Mulay and Mang Wein villages on 30 March. On 5 April, airstrikes hit Si Mulay, Si Mugyi and Si Tha villages. On 6 April, airstrikes hit Tongkok and Si Thaung villages. On 9 April, airstrikes hit Mang Hker and Si Thaung villages.
The situation remains tense in eastern Shwegu Township, and local people expect that clashes could break out between resistance groups and the Burma army at any moment.
