Military Council troops set fire to Muu-Mandalay and Taline Kyung villages in Myinmu Township in Sagaing during the week and arrested about 60 local residents as hostages.

A local resident said that two columns from the Light Infantry Division (33) in Sagaing marched toward Muu-Mandalay village and set fire to the village on the morning of 27 July.

''The junta troops split into two columns and came towards our village, so we ran away. There, the junta troops started to shoot continuously around our village, accompanied by three fighter jets. We ran away and luckily escaped. But about 60 local residents were trapped in the village’s monastery and were arrested by the junta troops,'' a local resident told Mizzima.

After burning Muu-Mandalay village, the junta troops moved on to burn Taline Kyung village at around 3 p.m. on 28 July.

Due to the raids by the junta troops, thousands of people from Muu-Mandalay, Taline Kyun, Mann Thazi, Nyaung Bin Shae, Magyi Koe Pin, and Kyi Kone in Myinmu township are fleeing the fighting, according to locals.