The Karen National Union (KNU) Central Committee has officially announced that six civilians, including two children aged one and six years old, were killed due to artillery fire by the terrorist military in Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region. The incident occurred on July 5, 2023, at approximately 5:50 PM when military council troops stationed in the Nat Than Kwin area of Kyaukkyi Township launched a 120mm artillery shell via drone into the village.
The artillery shell struck and exploded inside a school in Taw Kyaung Pauk village, where internally displaced people were taking shelter. The explosion resulted in the immediate deaths of six civilians: one-year-old Saw Kyaw Naing Htoo, six-year-old Saw Kaung Than Zaw, 65-year-old Tee Maung Than Sein, 64-year-old Nya Kyi Myint, 35-year-old Saw Kyaw Naing Win, and 30-year-old Ma Nan Oo. Several others were also wounded in the attack.
Among the injured were a 30-year-old pregnant woman named Naw Thu Ray Say from A Lay Su village, 38-year-old Nya Win Soe from Wa Pin Su village, and 25-year-old Naw Hla Ye Myint Khaing from Taw Kyaung Pauk village. Local residents have pointed out that these deliberate attacks by military council forces on civilians, including strikes on civilian infrastructure such as IDP camps and schools, constitute war crimes, resulting in the loss of innocent lives.
