Soldiers from the regime’s army have reportedly killed a villager from Lon Khan after abducting seven people from the village after shelling a People’s Defence Force (PDF) following clashes in Kyaukme District, northern Shan State.

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A local source, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told SHAN that a column kidnapped the villagers on 10 February in Nawngkio Township and released six of them a few days later.

“The soldiers told them that they had killed the other villager,” the man said.

They could not find the villager’s body after searching for it, but their efforts were hampered by the fact that the military is camped near Lon Khan.

The junta airstrike destroyed a pagoda and a Buddhist monastery and damaged the roofs of two houses in the village.

“The villagers need financial assistance to repair their houses,” the source said, explaining that the soldiers also raided at least 20 houses and shops in the village.

More than 500 people who have fled the violence to nearby villages returned last week.

Fighting continues throughout the country, although the regime announced a ceasefire until 2024 at the beginning of the year.