Seven family members, including three children under 10 years old, were killed and five others were injured when the military junta conducted bombing on Dawthponeyan town in Kachin State’s Momauk Township, according to local residents.
The junta aircraft bombed Dawthponeyan, Wet Yin and Nam Ei village around 1:40 am on 19 February, sources said.
“We don’t know why they bombed like that. There were no military-related activities there. It’s just where civilians live. There are no military positions. I specifically remember looking at the time – it was around 1:49 am when they dropped the bombs,” said a Dawthponeyan resident.
The airstrike killed all seven members of a family from Wet Yin village: Ma Kaliya (3-year-old), Ma Yon Mi Mi Hsar (10-year-old), Maung Aung Lin Htet (9-year-old), U Maung Oo (53-year-old), Daw Aik Hsaw (56-year-old), U Sai Lyan (25-year-old), and Daw Chery Htwe (22-year-old). Five people were also injured in Nan Ei Shan village.
The Kachin Human Rights Watch (KHRW) strongly condemned the military council’s targeting of innocent civilians.
“Our organization strongly protests the junta airstrike in Dawthponeyan village tract that killed seven civilians. We see this not as a path to political solutions but as persecution of the public,” said Ko Jacob, spokesperson for KHRW.
At around 4 pm on 15 November 2024, an aerial bombing on an IDP camp at KBC Christian Church in Kone Law village, Momauk Township, killed nine people including children and injured at least 30 others.
Furthermore, on 17 October 2024, an airstrike on Mong Lai Khet IDP camp near Laiza killed 29 IDPs, including 11 underage children.
Similarly, on 23 October 2022, a junta airstrike on ANang Pa village in Hpakant killed more than 80 civilians.
According to Myanmar Peace Monitor (MPM) data, over the four years since the military coup, 7,757 people have been killed nationwide due to airstrikes, battles and artillery fire, including 560 deaths in the Kachin State, with 2024 recording the highest number of deaths.
Sent by KNG.