Members of a pro-junta militia executed four civilians in Myanmar’s Hpakant jade-mining hub on August 9 in retaliation for a lethal rebel attack on their training base in nearby Danai Township, according to local sources and resistance officials.

The summary executions occurred after the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched a drone and artillery strike on an allied pro-junta base in Danai, killing five members of the Min Zay Thant militia and injuring ten others during a military graduation ceremony.

In response, armed militia members entered Nawngmyi Village in Hpakant Township along the Ledo Highway, dragged four young ethnic Kachin men from their homes, and shot them dead.

Residents identified the victims as Ko Lamai Gwang Mai, Ko Dawng Lwan, Ko Htoi San Aung, and Ko Sut Aung.

“After taking heavy losses in the training depot attack, militia members entered our village and began making arbitrary arrests under the pretext of looking for suspects,” a KIA source reported. “They dragged four innocent young men out of their houses and executed them. Now, militia forces are forcing their way into homes targeting ethnic Kachin youth along the Ledo Highway, leaving residents terrified.”

In a separate clash in Danai Township, KIA Battalion 14 ambushed a junta infantry column advancing toward the Lapu Hka amber mining district, forcing military troops to retreat after sustaining heavy casualties.

The Min Zay Thant militia is a prominent junta-aligned paramilitary faction operating along the Ledo Highway in northern Myanmar.

The group has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights observers for rampant abuses against civilians, including land confiscation for illegal gold mining, village arson, extortion, and summary executions.