At least six beheaded bodies were discovered in the Nawng Ping village tract of Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, after military commission troops withdrew from the area in the third week of September, according to residents.

“The heads were in fertilizer bags, and we didn’t dare to empty them. One head had already fallen onto the ground, leaving only the bones. Some bags contained two or three heads together. After the soldiers left, we burned them. They were not local villagers,” a man familiar with the incident told SHAN.

Locals suspect the victims may have been prisoners of war captured by junta forces during recent clashes with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). However, this has not been independently verified.

Residents also said junta troops buried numerous bodies inside monasteries in Nawng Ping, while some villagers who fled during the fighting remain missing.

Intense fighting continues near Sa Khan Thar village, about seven miles from Kyaukme town, with the junta deploying both ground troops and air support.

The military has barred locals from returning to Nawng Ping and surrounding villages for nearly a month. Aid workers report that more than 9,000 displaced people are sheltering in over 40 camps in Kyaukme Township, facing severe shortages of food and medicine.