The Myanmar military hit its own makeshift camp in an airstrike near Kyauk Pan Nyo village in Mese in Karenni (Kayah) State, said an official from the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF).
The mistaken attack on its own camp on the morning of 30 July resulted in casualties on the junta side, the KNDF medical officer said.
“They came and bombed with planes near Kyauk Pan Nyo at around 6 am yesterday (30 July). No one was hurt on our side. Probably their members were hit,” the KNDF medical officer said of the bombing by the junta’s air force.
Mese is a border town in Karenni State, located near border post 13-14. The town hosts military bases, but they are now controlled by Border Guard Forces (BGF) units No. 1004 and 1005 and other resistance forces.
The area saw daily armed clashes between the Myanmar army and resistance forces until late July, with the military regime using airstrikes. The regime even bombed places where there was no fighting, according to displaced residents of Khe Ma Phyu.
A displaced person from Khe Ma Phyu said, “On the morning of 30 July , they bombed their own camp near Kyauk Pan Nyo. Since only their members were present there, they were most likely hit. The day before, they bombed the area without any fighting. It sounded like the roasting of corn grains.”
Due to the security situation on the ground, the exact number of casualties from the bombing could not be verified.
Resistance forces claim to have taken control of 80 percent of Karenni State, while the Myanmar army has deployed more troops near Yado village on the Karenni-Karen border and in Moebye and Pekon Townships on the Karenni-Shan border in an effort to regain territorial dominance.
In an effort to retake the border town of Mese, the military council has also deployed its powerful Light Infantry Divisions 55 and 66 with an estimated combined troop strength of up to 400, according to KNDF officials on the ground.
“They’ve recently advanced with five columns. Before, there were usually only three. This means they have started their advance with a large number of troops,” said the KNDF medical officer.
Locals reported that due to the armed clashes between the two sides and airstrikes by the junta air force, they had difficulty getting around and making a living, so they had to move to safer places.
The military council also conducted airstrikes on a displacement camp on the Thai-Karenni border on 12 July. The indiscriminate airstrike forced nearly 5,000 people to cross the border into Thailand, who aid workers said were in desperate need of assistance.
Sent by NMG.
