The bodies were discovered on Friday after a full day of clashes between regime and resistance forces.
The bodies of two civilians, both burned beyond recognition, were discovered in a village in Kayah (Karenni) State’s Loikaw Township on Friday morning following a day of clashes between junta troops and resistance forces.
An officer of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) said the group found the charred remains when they returned to the village of 3 Mile Pa Kye after regime soldiers had left.
“We couldn’t clear the area yesterday, so we only found them this morning,” he said.
He said that the village continued to come under attack even after KNDF fighters retreated during fighting the day before.
“The battle started at around 7am. They even used heavy weapons, so we were forced to retreat. However, they continued to raid the village,” he said.
“We saw smoke coming out of the village the whole day until dusk,” he added, noting that junta soldiers had burned a number of houses to the ground.
“We don’t know when exactly they left. We were on guard all night last night because we weren’t sure if they were still there,” he said.
No details were available about the two victims, but it is believed that they were guarding a garage in the village, according to the KNDF officer.
On Friday, the group released a statement with photos showing what appeared to be burned fragments of a military uniform next to the bodies. It said that soldiers dressed the men in uniforms before shooting them and burning their bodies.
Meanwhile, clashes were also reported in the nearby villages of Padanye and Maw Chee Su See on Thursday. According to a resident of Padanye, regime forces set fire to several houses in the village.
According to a statement released by the Progressive Karenni People’s Force on February 1, the military has killed nearly 200 civilians in Karenni State since last year’s coup.
The junta’s information officers have not responded to requests for comment on recent clashes in the state. The regime routinely denies responsibility for civilian casualties.
source myanmar-now