Resistance fighters set alight an excavator operated by the Burmese junta.

Anti-military rebels burned down the heavy machinery, which is reportedly owned by Tin Htut Oo, the junta-appointed irrigation minister in Magway Division's Pauk Township, Myanmar, on July 1.

The local defence force said it was in response to the army's burning of homes in Pauk. They added that soldiers have allegedly been robbing, killing, arresting, and extorting money from Magway residents.

The struggle between armed militias and the Burmese military has intensified amid the political turmoil in Myanmar caused by the ousting of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Around the country, thousands of civilians are said to have been killed during military crackdowns on protests. Nobel Peace Prize Laurette Aung San Suu Kyi was kidnapped and has been held in custody on 'politically motivated' charges.