On August 18 at approximately 10:20 AM, the military council conducted an unprovoked drone strike on Sai Taung village in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, resulting in injuries to four civilians, according to local military sources. The casualties included three women and one man, whose conditions are reported to be serious. The attack occurred despite there being no active fighting in the area at the time of the strike.
The Hpakant region has been experiencing continuous fighting, with intense battles occurring around Trash Dump Village and Nyaung Pin Kone area on August 17. The military council forces launched approximately 70 artillery shells from their positions at Hpakant Military Hill, Hpakant Ayemyathaya, and Let Ma Kone toward the eastern part of Nyaung Pin Kone. These artillery attacks have resulted in shells landing in civilian residential areas. The military council has been deliberately targeting civilian areas and locations where there is no active combat using drones and heavy artillery.
Due to heavy casualties suffered by military council forces in battles over the past two months in the Hpakant area, they have reportedly reinforced their positions with new columns of approximately 500 troops. According to verified reports, the military council’s deliberate targeting of civilian areas and non-combat zones in the Hpakant region has resulted in approximately 240 civilian injuries and 65 deaths to date. The ongoing conflicts in the Hpakant area, particularly along the Hpakant road and around the Indawgyi region, have seen nearly daily clashes, with the military council continuing to target civilian populations despite the absence of active combat in many of these areas.
