Junta airstrikes in Myanmar, 19 civilians killed
Last Updated on September 7, 2024 8:58 am
At least 19 civilians have been killed in Myanmar military airstrikes on an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in ethnically-held Shan state near the Chinese border.
These attacks were carried out on Thursday (September 5) night and the next morning. Some of the victims were children.
According to the Tang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the junta is committing war crimes by deliberately dropping heavy bombs on civilian targets in liberated towns in northern Shan State. At 1:35 a.m. on Friday, a junta warplane dropped two 500-pound bombs on the town of Namkham near the Chinese border, hitting civilian homes and a hall.
Eleven civilians, including two children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 11 others injured in the attack. Besides, six houses were completely destroyed, TNLA said. The city was liberated by the TNLA in December last year and was part of Operation 1027 led by the Brotherhood Alliance.
Earlier on Tuesday night, the junta forces carried out a similar airstrike in the town of Mantong in Northern Shan State. Several houses and a tea processing factory were destroyed by two 500 pound bombs. A resident was injured in the attack.
Eight people, including six children, were killed in another airstrike by junta forces on the Bangkok IDP camp, west of the town of Mobai in southern Shan State, on Thursday night. Karenni activist group Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) said many others were injured in the incident.
About 600 people have taken shelter in the IDP camp, for whom more than 160 tents have been set up. A civilian remains missing after the attack.
Source: The Irrawaddy