Two civilians killed in Myanmar army attacks near Chin, Magway border

A series of junta airstrikes and artillery attacks killed two civilians and injured several others near the border between Chin State and Magway Region last week, according to sources. The deadly attacks both took place on July 17, amid growing tensions in an area that has seen gains by resistance groups in recent months. The first incident occurred in a village west of Mindat in Chin State, where one man was killed and a woman was injured in an airstrike that took place shortly after midnight. The airstrike, which also destroyed a Buddhist monastery, was followed by several more over the next two days, including one that dropped four 500-pound bombs on the morning of July 19. “They used both fighter jets and Y-12 transport planes. The Y-12s dropped more than 50 bombs,” said a local man, describing the attack. A junta artillery unit stationed in Kyaukhtu, a town about 10 miles east of Mindat in neighbouring Magway Region’s Saw Township, began firing on the area on July 15, sources said. The same unit was also responsible for the other deadly incident on July 17. According to locals, a shell fired from Kyaukhtu landed on a house in Kyantaw, a village about six miles to the southwest, killing one man and injuring his wife and brother. “The deceased was hit by shrapnel in the back of his head and died about half an hour later. His older brother suffered injuries to his chest and back and has been transferred to a hospital due to the severity of his wounds,” said a local relief worker. The Chin Brothers, an alliance of Chin resistance groups aligned with other anti-regime forces such as the Arakan Army and Yaw Defence Force, has made significant advances in recent months, with the capture of the town of Kyindwe in late April and of two junta bases in Matupi Township in June. More recently, it has also seized a tactical base west of Mindat, prompting the military to send more reinforcements to the town, as well as to the artillery unit in Kyaukhtu, according to resistance sources. “We’ve heard rumours of an impending attack on Mindat,” said a fighter from the Chinland Defence Force (Mindat), one of the members of the Chin Brothers alliance. “They’re reinforcing their military strength, not just by increasing troop numbers, but also with rocket launchers and drones,” he added. The tensions have forced most villagers living in the area around Kyaukhtu to flee, although some had returned recently to cultivate their fields, according to one resident. “It’s currently the paddy-planting season, so some farmers went back home to plant their crops. But due to the continuous artillery fire, most have now fled,” said the local. In May, two junta attacks in Saw Township caused mass casualties. On May 9, an airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in the village of Akyi Pan Pa Lun left at least 15 people dead. Days later, another airstrike killed at least seven in the village of Taw Ma as around 100 civilians gathered to receive donated blankets, mosquito nets, and other necessities, according to witnesses.

Two civilians killed in Myanmar army attacks near Chin, Magway border

Regime airstrikes and shelling have killed dozens of civilians in the area in recent months amid advances by resistance forces

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