Burma Army (BA) soldiers attacked homes in a village in the conflict-ridden Sagaing Region where no immediate armed clashes had been reported.

According to a resident of Than Hpo in Kalay Township, who requested anonymity, nearly 100 soldiers torched at least two houses and attacked the area with artillery, causing villagers to flee into the jungle.

The Chinland Defence Force (CDF) for the Kalay, Kabaw and Gangaw region also reported the attack on the homes and a rice mill in the village last week, but said some villagers and CDF fighters were able to extinguish the fires after the BA soldiers left.

The BA are based in Yan Gyi Aung, which is only a mile away. Than Hpo is 22 miles from Kalay town.

Last December, the BA burnt down several houses in the village and the building where villagers stored their rice after harvest.

According to CDF, six BA soldiers suffered life-threatening injuries during fighting near Hman Taw in Kalay Township on 23 February. Khonumthung News couldn’t independently verify this information.

Since last year, the regime has been conducting a major offensive against resistance fighters who took up arms in Sagaing Region and neighbouring Chin State in May last year.

Although outnumbered and outgunned, they’ve killed many BA soldiers during ambushes.