By Nway / MPA
In Sagaing Region, military forces stationed at Swan Yee Htet Gas Station checkpoint near the entrance of Monywa, fired Howitzer artillery shells into surrounding villages this morning.
Around 8 AM on August 28, Howitzer artillery shells were fired from Swan Yee Htet Gas Station checkpoint where approximately 60 soldiers were stationed, to nearby villages, according to the Chaung U Revolution.
“They have fired around four shells, targeting the western and southwestern areas of the checkpoint. There are about 20 villages in that area, but we haven’t yet heard of any civilian casualties since the shelling hasn’t been going on for long,” a source from Chaung U Revolution told MPA before 9 AM.
On August 25, the Howitzer artillery had been brought to the checkpoint, and that evening, the military began firing toward the Myinmu area.
The Swan Yee Htet checkpoint is located near the entrance of Monywa, along the Monywa-Mandalay highway, with reports that soldiers at the checkpoint regularly extort money from passing travelers.
“They are firing heavy artillery without any reason, and they are also extorting money from civilians and vehicles passing through their checkpoint. This has become a routine now,” the source added.
Military checkpoints in Monywa Township frequently fire heavy artillery into surrounding villages, and on August 23, artillery fired from the Ma U checkpoint struck Hpaungkatar Village in Salingyi Township, causing an eight-year-old child to lose a leg.
