On Saturday, the regime’s soldiers massacred at least 21 people, including 3 monks, and destroyed many houses in a village in Pinlaung Township where it’s fighting the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) in southern Shan State.

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“There are about 350 houses in Nam Neng and I think about half of the houses in the village have been burnt down. Everyone is afraid to stay there and has fled,” a local, who wishes to remain anonymous, told SHAN. He said they also destroyed the Buddhist monastery.

In the morning, the regime flew air strikes, shelled the village and attacked it with ground troops. Photos circulated on Facebook of the victims’ bodies after they were killed behind the monastery where junta soldiers were staying.

Clashes between the PDF and its allied KNDF continue to intensify as the junta, backed by the Pa-O National Organisation, now under the military regime, continue a offensive operation. About 6,000 people from 6 villages were displaced during the weekend attack.