At least eight civilians killed in Myanmar junta attacks near Shan State town

Junta air and artillery attacks killed at least eight civilians in northern Shan State’s Kyaukme Township on Sunday, as fighting in the region continues to escalate despite a declared ceasefire. The victims included residents of the town of Kyaukme and the village of Zaw Ti Kone to the east, according to local sources. “The regime carried out airstrikes throughout the night. At least eight people lost their lives yesterday due to the shelling and airstrikes,” said a Kyaukme resident who spoke to Myanmar Now on Monday. At least seven airstrikes, using both jet fighters and Y-12 transport aircraft, were carried out, the source added. Intense clashes have been reported in and around Kyaukme, located about 67 miles southwest of junta-controlled administrative capital Lashio, since the arrival of a convoy of regime reinforcements on Saturday. The convoy had reached the town’s southern entrance on July 18, but was unable to proceed for three days due to attacks by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to residents. The group and its allies have been in control of the town since capturing it late last month following the collapse of a Chinese-brokered ceasefire. The junta has also been carrying out airstrikes in response to TNLA attacks on two light infantry battalion (LIB) bases about two miles north of Kyaukme, said one local. “Two 500-pound bombs were dropped over Padamyar Zedi hilltop near the LIB 501 and 502 bases. Pang Lawt Monastery was also damaged by aerial bombardments,” the resident said. Meanwhile, fighting continued on Monday east of the town, with clashes reported at around 11am near Nam Hsa Lin Hill and Kyauk Taung Hill, where a number of Buddhist monasteries are located. Most residents of Kyaukme have fled since Operation 1027, an anti-regime offensive launched by the Brotherhood Alliance late last year, resumed on June 25. A Kyaukme-based social welfare team estimates that as of July 18, renewed fighting has killed at least 70 people in the township. Last week, the Brotherhood Alliance declared a temporary ceasefire in northern Shan State to coincide with a major meeting of China’s Communist Party leadership. Despite continued fighting during that four-day ceasefire, the TNLA and its ally, the Myanmar Democratic Alliance Army, agreed on Saturday to extend it until the end of the month, citing Chinese pressure.

At least eight civilians killed in Myanmar junta attacks near Shan State town

The victims lived in and around Kyaukme, a town controlled by anti-regime forces since late last month

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