Three civilians and one guerrilla fighter were shot and killed by junta troops while fleeing a raid on Tuesday in the Yaw region of Magway, according to the leader of a local resistance force.
An 80-soldier military column from the Gangaw-based Infantry Battalion (IB) 50 shot at villagers along a road connecting the communities of Zar Haw and Oak Hla in the western part of the township.
One of the casualties was identified as Yaw Defence Force (YDF) member Aung Naing, who had been helping the residents of Zar Haw escape the advancing troops, according to YDF secretary general Min Min.
The identities of the civilians who were killed were not confirmed at the time of reporting.
A second YDF member, Aung Kyaw Moe, was reportedly injured after being shot in the left arm, and a third member—Aung Ko Ko—is missing following the assault, which Min Min said was one-sided and “not a clash.”
Several villagers have reportedly remained trapped inside Zar Haw, which has since been occupied by the junta column.
Myanmar Now was unable to independently verify the YDF’s account of the incident.
The military council does not release information on its activities in the Yaw region, which consists of Gangaw, Htilin and Saw townships and borders Sagaing Region and Chin State.
IB 50 was accused by locals of torching homes and killing civilians in raids in neighbouring Htilin in early October.
The military has denied committing arson attacks on villages in central and northwestern Myanmar.
Multiple anti-junta forces have formed in the Yaw region, frequently armed only with handmade weapons and hunting rifles. The military is believed to have deployed some 2,000 soldiers to fight these groups, which have made the area a resistance stronghold.
