Myanmar junta troops have raided a Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) office in the jade-mining hub of Hpakant Township and killed seven people, according to the group.

The Seik Mu village administration office was raided on Wednesday morning. Those killed were being held over drug offenses and office staff, said a KIO administrator from a neighboring village.

“They were heavily armed and shelled first. They shot anyone they saw. Other people were injured. There were no KIA [Kachin Independence Army] troops in the village,” he said.

Around 25 people were detained, including drug detainees and KIO office staff and guards, according to a resident.

The KIO has made no official statement.

Junta troops left the village after several hours, torched the KIO office and shot at random in the village. No civilian casualties were reported.

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.

In response, Kachin People’s Defence Force (PDF) attacked three junta administrative offices in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, on Wednesday.

PDF troops fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the township police station and dropped a bomb on the township court.

The PDF said its fighters shot at junta offices beside the court and reported casualties at the police station. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.

The junta has reportedly detained about 1,000 Kachin citizens in the last year for having alleged links to resistance groups or the KIO.

Source:
courtesy of THE IRRAWADDY

by HEIN HTOO ZAN

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