The military council conducted around 700 airstrikes in Karenni State over the past seven months, said the Karenni Army (KA).
Regarding the junta’s airstrikes over the past seven months, Commander-in-Chief of KA Colonel Phone Naing said: “The military council’s airstrikes mainly targeted Loikaw, Shadaw, Mese and Hpasawng, totaling around 600-700.”
These airstrikes took place between 1 January and the end of July 2024, Colonel Phone Naing said.
Regarding the junta’s increased airstrikes, Colonel Phone Naing said: “The military usually resorts to airstrikes when it suffers heavy losses in battle. The military asks for air support as its battalions are defeated. It aims to destroy the houses of people in the state. The military conducts airstrikes very often.
Colonel Phone Naing said the military the military intensifies airstrikes indiscriminately targeting both military and civilian areas whenever it experiences significant losses.
A CDM teacher from a school at the IDP camp in the western part of Demoso said, “The major concern is air support that follows the battle. Now the military is targeting schools. We are worried that the children will not be able to continue their education. We are worried that they will not learn well.”
According to the IEC’s report, during six months from January to June, the military council’s airstrikes killed nine children, two women, four men and one unindentified person and wounded nine children, 14 women and 12 men.
However, the number of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes in July is still unknown.
Four students were killed and more than 20 others including teachers wounded in the military council’s airstrikes on two schools in the western part of Demoso Township.
On 1 July, the military council bombed an IDP camp in the western part of Pekon Township, by a jet fighter twice, where there is no active fighting, destroying five displaced houses and a school, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) says.
Since the coup on 1 January 2021 and the end of July 2024, there were reportedly 1655 airstrikes in Karenni State, according to a statement by the Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) on 1 August.
Sent by NMG.