Junta airstrikes kill at least 20 in Karen State, including children

Myanmar’s military launched three days of airstrikes in Karen State’s Kawkareik Township, killing at least 20 people this week, including women and children, local sources told Myanmar Now. At 12:27 pm Tuesday, junta forces dropped two bombs near a monastery in Kanni village, about 14 miles west of Kawkareik Town, according to the New Mon State Party – Anti-Dictatorship (NMSP-AD). The blasts also damaged nearby homes and public buildings, and injured 10 monks. “The bomb fell on the zayat (resting place). The monks were resting there after lunch. It’s a place where elders observe religious retreats as well,” NMSP-AD spokesperson Naing Kaung Sakar told Myanmar Now. “Six civilians, including children, were killed,” he said, referencing the Tuesday attack. Among the dead were a two-year-old, a three-year-old, a 15-year-old girl, and a woman in her 70s. Ten monks were also injured in the attack, including two who are in serious condition. Kanni village, which sits along the Haungtharaw River, is home primarily to ethnic Mon residents. Sources say there were no resistance troops stationed in the village at the time of the bombing. “We assume that they [junta] just intentionally dropped the bombs,” Naing Kaung Sakar said. “And they did it during the Thingyan holiday when villagers were gathering.” He added that he had credible information that there were no combatants anywhere in the area when the junta carried out the strike.On Wednesday, Myanmar junta forces bombed Nwar Chan Gone village near Kyondoe Town, Karen State, killing at least 14 civilians as they tried to flee, according to the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM).“These airstrikes are yet another horrifying reminder that the junta continues to deliberately target local civilians with total disregard for human life,” Nai Aue Mon, the programs director of HURFOM told Myanmar Now. “Launching such brutal attacks during such a traditional holiday, when families are meant to be together in peace, only reinforces the cruelty of their intent.”The local rights group added that fighter jets and Y-12 aircraft dropped around 15 bombs across several villages, hitting homes and evacuation routes. Among the dead were a Hindu couple, including a pregnant woman.“One of the victims is Ko Ganan, around 40 years old, and his pregnant wife,” a local aid worker told HUFROM in a recent statement posted to the social media platform X.“They were both killed. They were Hindu. We’ve only been able to recover their bodies so far. At least 14 people were killed in total. Everyone else is still running for safety.” On Tuesday, the Karen Information Center (KIC), a Karen news agency, reported that the military carried out five more rounds of airstrikes targeting monasteries and villages in Kawkareik and Kyainseikgyi townships. The attacks coincide with a buildup of junta troops and weapons ahead of a new offensive known as the ‘Aung Zeya operation’, which has triggered a surge in clashes across the region as military assaults intensify. On Monday, military spokesperson Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun accused the Karen National Union (KNU) of initiating attacks. He also claims there have been ongoing clashes in Kachin and Karenni states despite a temporary ceasefire after the March 28 earthquake. In response, the KNU stated that the junta has launched repeated heavy artillery, drone, and air attacks across Karen State deliberately targeting both resistance and civilian areas. Echoing the growing frustration among many observers, Nai Aue Mon issued a clear call for international accountability. “It is clear that the junta is not fighting a war against armed forces: they are waging war against innocent people. These airstrikes are part of a systematic campaign to terrorise, displace, and silence communities demanding democracy and dignity,” he said. “We urge ASEAN, international aid agencies, and governments that continue to engage with or rely on the junta’s so-called administrative system to wake up. Every act of cooperation with the junta is a step toward legitimising a regime that commits war crimes.” The roof of a monastery in Kanni village lies destroyed after a junta airstrike, which killed six civilians and injured 10 monks during Burma’s New Year festival. (Photo – Supplied)

Junta airstrikes kill at least 20 in Karen State, including children

A string of aerial attacks over a three day period has left Karen communities devastated during Myanmar’s Thingyan holiday festival

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