Military council troops have arrested more than 59 civilians and also set fire to houses in Leldi Ward in downtown Ayadaw, Sagaing Region, according to local residents.
“They came to our ward in seven cars. They came in with guns blazing. We heard that they first took valuable things from the houses and set them on fire,” said one of the residents.
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said that about 150 regime soldiers came in Leldi ward in Area No.1 at around 5 pm on 17 February, rounded up residents and set houses on fire.
The junta soldiers detained the arrested residents in the ward’s school, and left the buring houses untouched until 8 pm, he said.
The residents’ claims that half of Leldi ward, which includes about 200 houses, had been burned down could not be verified.
The intrusion of the regime troops reported from No.1 Training Corps into the neighborhood also forced residents to flee to safer places.
The families are worried because the regime soldiers have not released the residents to date, and the reason for their arrests is not yet known.
On 12 February, a joint force of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) the military council’s training compound in Ayadaw Township around 5 pm, killing nine junta soldiers and wounding many more.
The arrest and arson in Leldi ward come a week after the PDF attacked the junta training unit.
PDF officials have claimed they attacked the regime’s training compound with 80mm rounds on 12 February.
Sent by NMG.