Local residents and the Mon Liberation Army have confirmed that six people, including four children aged between 3 and 15 years, were killed when the military council conducted an airstrike on a monastery in Kan Ni Model Village, Kyun Daw Town, Karen State. The attack occurred on April 15 between 11:50 AM and 12:10 PM, when a military council Yak-130 aircraft bombed the monastery, resulting in the deaths of Mi Kye Kye Mon and Min Khun Ba Le, both 3 years old, Min Lin Pyae Aung, 9 years old, Mi Po Phu Zin, 15 years old, Ko Myo, 34 years old, and Daw Thein Shin, 76 years old.
The attack also wounded approximately 20 people, including 7 civilians, 8 novice monks, and 2 Buddhist monks, with some victims in critical condition according to local sources. Witnesses reported that the military aircraft deliberately targeted the monastery after conducting surveillance flights, dropping approximately 30 bombs and firing missiles from the aircraft. A resident from Kan Ni village described how the aircraft specifically targeted the monastery after conducting reconnaissance.
Intense fighting has been reported around Kyun Daw town, with military council battalions 545 and 546 deliberately targeting civilian areas including Ye Pu Gyi, Kawt Wa Le, Win Pya, Naung Ta Man, Samin Dut, Taung Kam Rok, Mi Ga Lun, and Kan Ni Model villages with heavy artillery fire, according to statements from the Mon Liberation Army. Local residents report that the current battles are particularly intense, with the military council conducting repeated airstrikes in the area. The fighting represents a significant escalation in military operations in the region, with civilian areas bearing the brunt of the military council’s aggressive tactics.
