Three civilians were injured in landmine explosions and artillery strikes in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, over the past five days, according to the Mon Myat Say Tanar Social Relief Association.
At around 7 pm on 16 May, Ko Aar Mu Tar, 32, a resident of Waingmaw Ward No. 2, was walking towards Madin village when he stepped on the landmine and his right leg was amputated.
Similarly, at around 8:30 pm on 18 May, a 10-year-old boy from Ni Khu Di Village, Sankar Village Tract, Waingmaw Township, was struck by heavy weaponry and sustained a back injury, according to social workers.
According to the association, a 65-year-old local man who had returned to Naung Si Paw village after receiving medical treatment in Waingmaw was also struck by heavy shells at a location in the forest along the road near Khat Cho village.
He added that the injured were transferred to Myitkyina General Hospital.
“The child’s back is seriously injured. His lungs are injured. The other one was hit by a landmine and lost his leg,” said an official from the association.
Currently, tensions remain high in Waingmaw Township between the joint forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military council, with frequent clashes occurring. Exchanges of artillery fire between the two sides have resulted in civilian injuries.
A woman from Khat Cho village said, “There haven’t been any [artillery shells] falling directly inside the village yet. But recently, most of them have been landing in the banana plantations and areas outside the village.”
Although the majority of local residents in Waingmaw Township fled their homes following the joint operation launched by the KIA on 7 March 2023, many migrant workers from lower Myanmar, who are working in the banana plantations in the Waingmaw area, are still present.
During exchanges of fire between the two armed forces or when the military council forces fire indiscriminately, artillery shells explode in banana plantations and villages, killing locals frequently.
Sent by KNG
