Five killed in junta gyrocopter and artillery assault on Bago clinic

At least five people, including a doctor and two medics, were killed on Wednesday when junta troops hit a healthcare clinic in resistance-held Kyaukkyi Township, eastern Bago Region, with artillery fire and a gyrocopter attack, according to local sources. The attack took place in Nyaung Pin Thar village, about 28 miles north of junta-controlled Kyaukkyi, local resistance forces said. “Bombs landed on the east and west sides of the hospital, killing a doctor on duty and two resistance medics,” a resistance fighter based in Kyaukkyi Township told Myanmar Now. “Patients who were also receiving treatments at the clinic also sustained injuries in the attack.” A medic, two teenage men, and two women were also injured in the attack. Two of the injured are in critical condition, according to resistance groups under the National Unity Government’s Southern Military Region 2. “Normally, we have time to take cover,” a representative of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) told Myanmar Now. “But during the attack, the clinic was treating patients, and the generator noise prevented us from noticing the gyrocopters until they were dangerously close.”The village of Nyaung Pin Thar is divided into two Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) brigades: one falls under the control of Brigade 3 in Kyaukkyi, while the other is part of Brigade 2 under Htantabin Township.The bombing also caused significant damage to the clinic and an ambulance, with the bombs striking the facility directly. Over the last year, junta forces have repeatedly targၐeted clinics, field hospitals, and medical workers in resistance areas, impacting already scarce healthcare networks. Local groups say that dozens of medical facilities nationwide have been hit by airstrikes or artillery fire since the coup. Sources say there was no fighting near the village at the time of the attack, and the clinic was simply providing healthcare services to locals and resistance forces. “It is a great loss because this clinic is very important for both locals and resistance forces,” a resistance fighter said. “The village is also on the route connecting Mone and Htantabin townships, which are under the control of resistance forces.” Shortly after the gyrocopter attack, the village was also hit by three rounds of junta shelling from neighboring Htantabin Township, killing two men and injuring a woman. The attack is part of a string of recent gyrocopter attacks, an aerial weapon increasingly used by the junta for their lightweight and affordability on the battlefield. Experts say they are often used to bomb civilian areas, killing and maiming people indiscriminately. A junta gyrocopter also crashed in early November after carrying out bombings in neighboring Phyu Township of Bago Region. Sources say junta troops from Infantry Battalion (IB) 73, stationed near Za Yat Gyi, a small town in the area under military control, were responsible for the shelling. The latest strike underscores the junta’s expanding use of low-cost aircraft and heavy artillery against civilian infrastructure, even in areas far from active clashes. Local health workers say the loss of the clinic will leave hundreds without reliable medical care as fighting continues to push deeper into eastern Bago Region.

Five killed in junta gyrocopter and artillery assault on Bago clinic

The strike destroyed a key medical centre and left several others critically injured, local resistance groups say

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