Local residents report that around 30 civilians have been killed in Hseng Tawng village in Hpakant, Kachin State, where fighting is ongoing, and their decomposing bodies cannot be collected from the pedestrian walkways.
A social worker in Hseng Tawng said the casualties were due to sniper fire by the military junta’s troops from Lucky Man Hotel, as well as artillery shelling and airstrikes during the fighting between the two sides.
“According to eyewitnesses, about 30 people have died in recent days from artillery shelling, airstrikes and snipers from the Lucky Man Hotel shooting at people on the street. Some bodies are still uncollected,” he said.
The bodies are decomposing on the walkways and cannot be retrieved. In addition, houses in Hseng Tawng village keep being burned down, the resident added.
According to the military, at least 30 bodies have been found in Hseng Tawng village as of 17 September, with the majority of the dead being civilians and a few members of the resistance forces.
In addition, the junta forces, in collaboration with members of the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), burned down numerous houses. About 400 houses in Ward 4, where the Lucky Man Hotel is located, were the most affected by the arsons, he continued.
Fighting began on 7 September, and six days later, on 12 September, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and joint forces captured the Hseng Tawng police station, intensifying the conflict. According to Hseng Tawng residents, the military has carried out continuous airstrikes.
A local aid worker in Hseng Tawng said: “We estimate that over 400, maybe 500 houses have been burned down. The worst affected areas are Ward 4 and Phar Pyin Road. From what we have found out, the junta soldiers and some SNA troops under their command seem to have been involved in this incident.”
On the evening of 17 September, at around 5pm, more houses were reportedly burning near Yu Mar village in the Hseng Tawng area.
The fires in Hseng Tawng village destroyed over 400 houses, with Phar Pyin village being the worst and most extensively affected.
Hpakant residents say the junta troops are burning down houses because the KIA troops have blocked the roads and are preventing the soldiers from leaving Lucky Man Hotel.
Despite the high civilian death toll and extensive house burning in Hseng Tawng village, military tensions between the junta troops and the joint KIA forces remain high with constant exchanges of fire, according to locals.
Sent by KNG.