Junta troops abducted 15 villagers from Magyisu Village in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region on 26 November and used them as human shields.

About 30 junta fighters led by the junta-aligned Pyu Saw Htee militia fired into the western part of Magyisu Village and then suddenly raided the village on the morning of 26 November.

15 villagers that the junta troops came across when they entered the village were seized and used as human shields before being moved to Ywarthit Village, according to a resident of Magyisu Village.

They said: “During the junta's sudden raid on Magyisu Village, they continuously and indiscriminately fired 40 mm mortars and small arms. The frightened villagers fled, and met with the junta [troops]. They were subsequently arrested.”

They added that the 15 human shields were later released on the afternoon of 26 November, saying: "The girls who were arrested were promptly released, and the boys were also released in the afternoon, on the same day, 26 November.”

Lieutenant Moe Gyoe, a leader of the Daung Min Taman Guerrilla Force, said that junta troops are frequently targeted by local defense forces and they resort to taking civilians as human shields in the hope that it will protect them from defence force attacks.

This is not the first time that villagers from Magyisu Village, a village of about 250 houses, have been used as human shields by junta troops.