At least 10 civilians were killed when artillery shells fired by the military council forces hit a vehicle preparing to evacuate in Nwar Chan Kone village, Kyun Doe town, Kawkareik Township, Karen State, according to those helping internally displaced persons (IDPs). The incident occurred when Infantry Battalions 545 and 546 of the military council fired heavy weapons at the village, with shells striking a vehicle that was being prepared for civilian evacuation. Among the deceased were a Hindu couple whose bodies have been recovered, while the remaining bodies could not yet be retrieved. Aid workers confirmed that the deceased woman was in late-stage pregnancy.
Furthermore, on the morning of April 16, during the Water Festival, the military council forces conducted additional attacks on villages in the Kawkareik and Kyun Doe areas using fighter jets and Y12 bomber aircraft. Between 7 AM and 8 AM, jet fighters conducted two bombing raids on Kyun Doe, Kawwarlay, Thayakone, and Nwar Chan Kone areas, while Y12 aircraft carried out three separate bombing runs on Hlaing Sein, Yankut, and Michaung Inn areas near Kawkareik. According to military sources from the KNLA allied forces, approximately 15 bombs were dropped, hitting residential homes and farmlands.
Currently, intense fighting continues between military forces and revolutionary forces near Five Mile village in Kyun Doe town and around Heart Break Mountain near Military Operations Command 12 in Kawkareik. The military council’s increased air strikes are reportedly due to high casualties among their new recruits. Infantry Battalions 545 and 546 based in Kyun Doe are reinforcing troops and ammunition while conducting preliminary artillery strikes in preparation for clearance operations toward Kawkareik. Similarly, Infantry Battalion 97 based in Kawkareik is firing artillery in preparation for operations along the Myawaddy-Asia Highway and the old Dawna mountain route.
