Myanmar military airstrike kills 8, including preschooler, in Chin’s Mindat

The junta launched an airstrike on a village near Mindat Town in Chin State yesterday evening, killing eight civilians including a preschooler, and injuring 15 others, according to sources. Two junta fighter jets dropped four bombs on the village in Tract 2, which is controlled by Chin resistance groups and currently shelters many displaced people, locals said. Among the eight killed—four male and four female—were a preschooler, a student, and elderly residents. About 20 homes were also destroyed, according to local residents and resistance forces. Salai Yaw Man, General Secretary of the Chin People's Union/Chin People's Army (CPU/CPA), a resistance organisation operating in the area, confirmed the casualties. “They bombed two spots where civilians were gathered. It's because they bombed right where residential houses are located. There was no ongoing ground battle near or around the village. It is about 15 or 16 miles away from the battlefield,” he said. “All of those who died were civilians. There are 15 injured people. Those who were injured are also civilians,” Salai Yaw Man added. A local from Mindat said that casualties were high because the village is a linear settlement along a road, and the bombs landed directly inside densely built-up residential areas. “They bombed this village again, where some civilians fleeing the recent fighting near Htinchaung village had gathered. A bomb hit houses rented by displaced people, causing an entire house to disappear. The people inside the house were blown to pieces,” he said. Fighting between the military column advancing into the Chin Hills and Chin resistance forces has lessened over the past three weeks, but regime troops remain stationed on the Mindat-Kyaukhtu road, locals said. Aftermath of the bombing on August 30 (Photo - HKL) Myanmar Now made repeated phone calls to junta spokesperson Brig-Gen San Nyo Win and the junta’s Chin State spokesperson Nay Lin Aung to ask about the attack, but received no response. The southern Chin State townships of Mindat, Kanpetlet, and Matupi are controlled by the Chin Brotherhood, while their ally, the Arakan Army (AA), controls Paletwa Township, blocking the junta entirely out of southern Chin State. Since regaining Falam, Tonzang, and Thantlang townships in northern Chin State this year, the junta has been intensifying efforts to break into the southern region as well. Two junta columns have been attempting to advance toward Mindat and Kanpetlet from Magway Region since mid-May; however, allied resistance forces have jointly resisted the attack. Southern Chin State is strategically important as it serves as an entry route into Rakhine State which is almost entirely controlled by the AA. The regime has conducted routine airstrikes on Mindat Township since it began its offensive in May, causing severe civilian casualties. On June 29, an airstrike in Mindat Township killed three girls under the age of 10. According to data released by the Mindat Township IDP Camp Management Committee in early June, over 17,000 local residents have been displaced by the junta’s offensive. According to the CPU/CPA, the junta has suffered heavy casualties during clashes, and Chin forces have seized weapons, ammunition, and prisoners of war. The CPU/CPA is composed of Chin resistance forces from southern Chin State's Mindat, Kanpetlet, and Matupi townships, and is also a member of the Chin Brotherhood.

Myanmar military airstrike kills 8, including preschooler, in Chin’s Mindat

The regime dropped four bombs on a heavily populated village, killing locals and IDPs, in its campaign to penetrate southern Chin State

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