Three killed in Myanmar junta airstrikes on hospital, IDP camps in Kachin and Karenni states

Myanmar’s military carried out airstrikes on a rural hospital and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kachin and Karenni states last week, killing at least three civilians and wounding five others, according to ethnic armed organisations and local officials. The attacks took place on June 4 and struck a hospital in Si Thar, a village in Kachin State’s Shwegu Township, as well as multiple IDP camps in western Demoso Township in Karenni State. Local authorities said there was no active fighting in either area at the time of the strikes. In Kachin State, two civilians—a man and a woman—were killed and three others injured when military aircraft dropped four bombs on Si Thar at about 8:30am, according to Kachin Independence Army (KIA) spokesperson Col. Naw Bu. “Four bombs were dropped from a jet fighter, hitting the hospital and dispensary as well as a KIO administrative office,” Naw Bu said, adding that the office, belonging to the Kachin Independence Organisation, the political wing of the KIA, was no longer in use. The bombing destroyed buildings on the southern side of the hospital compound and damaged the administrative office, he said. Nearby homes were not affected. A source close to resistance forces in the area said the airstrike appeared to follow setbacks suffered by junta troops advancing toward the town of Shwegu from Ngar Oe, a village some 30 miles to the south. KIA and allied forces have been engaged in clashes with the military column since early May. “The situation is currently calm,” the source told Myanmar Now. “There has never been any fighting near [Si Thar] before; they simply came and bombed it without justification.” Heavy fighting between junta troops and resistance forces has continued for more than a month along the route between Shwegu and Ngar Oe, but Si Thar lies at least five miles from the nearest active conflict zone, according to Naw Bu. In Karenni State, a separate airstrike later the same day killed a 38-year-old Christian pastor identified as Si Se and injured two other civilians, according to the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC). IEC General Secretary 2 Banyar Khun Aung said a fighter jet made four passes over western Demoso Township before dropping 500-pound bombs on a village church and nearby camps sheltering displaced residents. He accused the military of deliberately targeting civilian areas where displaced people had taken refuge. The attack came amid escalating military operations in Karenni State. According to the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, junta troops advancing through neighbouring Hpruso Township since March have burned more than 80 homes in three villages and remain engaged in clashes with resistance forces along the Hpruso–Bawlakhe road. The conflict in Karenni State has displaced large numbers of residents from the state’s population of roughly 400,000, with western Demoso becoming a key refuge area for those fleeing the violence.

Three killed in Myanmar junta airstrikes on hospital, IDP camps in Kachin and Karenni states

There was no active fighting near either of the targeted areas at the time of the attacks, local sources said

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