Myanmar junta forces respond to ‘Sittaung River Valley Victory Operation’ with intensified arson and low-altitude air attacks in Phyu Township

Mizzima

A joint force of military junta troops, including the Southern Command, Light Infantry Division (LID) 77, and Military Operations Command 6, has launched a wide-scale scorched-earth campaign across the west bank of the Sittaung River, torching homes in Ywa Thit, Kyein Kha Kone, and Mau Bin villages.

The offensive, which began on 11 January, has displaced an estimated tens of thousands of civilians from at least 12 villages, including Nat Laung, Kanyin Chaung, and Nga To Khin, as residents flee into open fields and wooded areas to escape near-daily bombardments.

“The number of people fleeing the fighting is likely in the tens of thousands, though the exact figure is unknown,” a resistance military source said, adding that those assisting IDPs can only help nearby residents as people flee in groups into fields outside the village.