Pyu Saw Htee leader and wife shot dead in Mandalay Region

The group that claimed responsibility for the killing said it prepared for 10 days before carrying it out A group operating under the command of the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Defence said it killed the leader of a junta-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia group and his wife in Mandalay Region’s Taungtha Township earlier this week. Pyit Phyo Maung was shot dead along with his wife on Tuesday evening, according to Than Lwin, a representative of the Taungtha People’s Defence Force (TTA-PDF). The militia leader was targeted over his alleged role in helping junta forces arrest and torture opponents of the 2021 military coup, Than Lwin told Myanmar Now. He said the shooting took place at a beer shop about 170 feet from the Taungtha police station. The group had spent about 10 days preparing for the operation and carried it out when the militia leader was without his usual security detail, he added. The shooting lasted about three minutes, he said. His wife was also shot after allegedly attempting to intervene and seize a weapon from one of the resistance fighters, Than Lwin said. The militia leader typically carried a pistol and two assault rifles but had left them in his vehicle that evening and was unable to retrieve them, he said. Following the shooting, junta forces in Taungtha blocked roads leading into and out of the town and searched vehicles and surrounding areas, according to Than Lwin. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the TTA-PDF accused Pyit Phyo Maung of participating in the abuse and torture of people arrested for political activities since the coup in 2021. The group also alleged that he had taken a leading role in military operations in the township. The group said it planned to intensify its operations in the town and warned junta-aligned Pyu Saw Htee members against committing abuses, making arbitrary arrests, or extorting money from civilians. Junta-aligned Telegram channels also reported that the couple had been killed in a shooting near the town’s clock tower, though their account differed on the reported location. Mandalay Region’s Myingyan District, which includes Taungtha Township, has been a stronghold of Pyu Saw Htee militias, which have supported military operations against resistance forces. Some militia members have also been accused of targeting civilians and people suspected of supporting the resistance. Resistance groups in the area have carried out attacks against militia members and people they accuse of providing intelligence to the military. Earlier this year, the PDF’s Myingyan District Battalion No. 3 arrested Sein Lwin, deputy leader of a Pyu Saw Htee group and husband of militia leader Thida Yu Mon. The arresting group said he was found with drugs.