Six artillery shells hit and exploded on 2 July in Kawkareik town, Karen State, which was reoccupied by military junta troops, injuring one man and forcing residents who had returned to the town to flee again, according to local sources.
The shells, which hit residential areas of the town at around 9pm on 2 July, injured a man who runs a car workshop in Ward 3. The shrapnel hit the man in the knees and pelvic area. He was rushed to hospital, according to residents of Kawkareik.
“He was on the phone at home when it happened. He was taken to the military hospital. His leg was hit and his pelvis was hit three times. They fired a total of six artillery shells – one fell in Ward 3 and five in Ward 6. I don’t know which side fired. No one was injured in Ward 6,” said a local from Kawkareik.
Some local residents said that the man who was injured by artillery shrapnel died of his serious injuries on 3 July and that there may be other casualties, but details are still being verified.
In an effort to restart the department’s offices and administration, the military council has been recalling residents to Kawkareik since April. Most of the people who had difficulty living in the displacement returned to the town.
According to some locals, fighting between the two sides continues in the areas around the town, with the military council increasingly using drones and heavy weapons. After the 2 July incident in which artillery shells hit the town and caused casualties, some returnees fled the town again, the Kawkareik local added.
“Over 2,000 people had returned to the wards. Now about 500 people left the town again yesterday for fear of artillery shelling. People are very scared now that this has happened. I guess about a third of the people have left again,” he said.
With fighting continuing, residents of villages near the town of Kawkareik are unable to return to their homes. Due to security concerns, they are also unable to work or farm. As a result, according to the displaced people, they are finding it difficult to obtain food.
On the ground, the military junta’s Aung Zeya Column has suffered casualties in the face of interceptions from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and joint forces. The junta has reportedly sent newly graduated trainees of from the first batch of military training to Kawkareik town to reinforce its troops through Hpa-An, sources in Kawkareik said.
Sent by KIC.
