Junta troops entered Letpanchaung Village in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, and set fire to the village, forcing residents to flee for safety.

Regime soldiers entered the village on the morning of October 20 and carried out arson throughout the day, according to locals.

“Soldiers marching from Yarzagyo Village in Kale Township started entering Letpanchaung Village on the morning of October 20. They began setting fires that morning and kept burning the village throughout the day. Everyone living near the futsal pitch had already fled,” said a villager familiar with the situation.

Junta troops advancing along the Kale–Khampat–Tamu Highway reached Yarzagyo Village on October 19 and continued their advance toward Letpanchaung Village the following day.

“Letpanchaung villagers had to flee in the dark before sunrise. They ran to the nearby hills and took shelter there. The junta column that entered the village was the one operating along the Kale–Tamu Road,” Kale Township resident told Chin World.

Sections of the Kale–Khampat–Tamu Highway have been under the control of resistance groups, and the junta has been conducting military operations along the route to regain full control. In villages along the road where junta troops have entered, locals have often been forced to flee their homes.

“In Kale Town, it’s becoming common for people displaced by the fighting in nearby villages to come and take shelter. The town itself is getting more crowded as more displaced people arrive. Recently, locals from villages like Khonthar have also come to Kale for refuge,” a Kale Town resident said.

The junta sent large reinforcements to Kale Town on October 16 and has been launching offensives to retake resistance-held communities along the Kale–Tamu Road, north of the town.