Myanmar’s military-controlled government is accusing pro-democracy fighters of killing 15 civilians in a nighttime mortar attack in a restive central area of the country, charges denied by the guerrilla group.
A report Thursday in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said so-called People’s Defense Forces (PDF) attacked the village of Ngwe Twin in the southern part of the Sagaing region at 4 a.m. Wednesday with handmade mortars, killing 15 people and injuring seven others, including three monks.
Since the military’s seizure of power, widespread peaceful opposition to the takeover has shifted to armed resistance in many parts of the country and the PDF groups have allied themselves with several armed ethnic minority groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy in Myanmar for decades.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 3,750 civilians have been killed by the security forces and nearly 24,000 arrested since the army seized power. The group keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation’s political conflicts.
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