The Karen National Union (KNU) Central Committee has reported that military airstrikes and artillery attacks on villages in Kyaikto Township, Mon State, have resulted in one civilian death, five injuries, and extensive damage to residential properties. The attacks, which occurred on August 9 and 11, deliberately targeted civilian areas where no active fighting was taking place, demonstrating a clear pattern of aggression against non-combatant populations.
On August 9 at approximately 9:25 AM, the military forces conducted an airstrike using a Yak-130 aircraft on Pinne Kone village in the Pyinkadoekone village tract, despite there being no active conflict in the area. The attack resulted in significant civilian casualties and property damage, including the destruction of five residential homes, three private vehicles, and three motorcycles. One civilian was killed in the attack, while four others sustained injuries. Local residents confirmed that this was a deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure and populations.
Further violence occurred on August 11 at 12:15 PM when the military council’s Infantry Division 44 headquarters launched a 120mm artillery shell into civilian areas between Win Thaung village and Kyauk Pon village in the Kyauklongyi village tract. Although there was no active combat in the area, the artillery shells landed and detonated in locations where civilians were conducting their daily activities, as confirmed by the KNU’s official statement. This unprovoked attack demonstrated the military’s continued disregard for civilian safety and international humanitarian law.
Later that same day, at approximately 3:30 PM, a joint force comprising troops from Light Infantry Battalion 8 and Infantry Battalion 3 entered Chaung Pyan village and opened fire with small arms, despite the absence of any military engagement. During this attack, a 50-year-old woman named Naw Pan Kyi sustained a gunshot wound to her left back and was subsequently transported to Thaton Hospital for medical treatment. The KNU’s statement emphasized that these systematic attacks by military council forces have resulted in significant losses of civilian lives, properties, and livelihoods throughout the region, highlighting the ongoing pattern of deliberate targeting of civilian populations by the military forces.
