By Hlaing / MPA
Nearly 40 young people were killed in a military airstrike by Myanmar’s junta in Kachin State’s Mohnyin and Waingmaw townships, according to local sources.
On Monday evening, around 5:30 p.m., a fighter jet from Meiktila Shan Tae Airbase bombed an area controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) 8th Brigade, Battalion 5, near Ga Khar Yan village in Mohnyin Township.
A military source told MPA, “We’ve heard they were trainees undergoing military training, but with phone lines cut, we don’t have precise information. The bombing, however, is confirmed.”
Initial reports indicate that nearly 40 trainees were killed and around 20 others injured. MPA says it is still working to verify the full extent of the casualties.
The following morning, on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m., the military also carried out five drone strikes on La Myan village in Waingmaw Township, despite no reports of ongoing clashes in the area.
“Fighting had continued near La Myan between March 22 and 25, and we heard today’s bombing also targeted the village. There were no casualties. Around noon, a plane was circling overhead,” said a 25-year-old local resident.
Since March 17, the junta has been reinforcing troops in Waingmaw in a bid to retake areas it has lost control over, including Chipwi, Sawlaw, Kan Paingti, and positions near the 321st Light Infantry Battalion in Shwe Nyaung Pin. Airstrikes have accompanied the troop buildup.
Despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by last Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the military continues to carry out offensives in Kachin State, including in Bhamo, Waingmaw, and Myitkyina, local sources report.
“In Laiza, we can get early warnings of approaching jets from the Chinese side, so we can prepare,” said one resident. “But with drones, we only find out once the bombs drop.”
The earthquake, the strongest ever recorded along the Sagaing Fault, has so far claimed around 3,000 lives across Mandalay, Sagaing, Bago, Shan State, Magway, and Naypyidaw.
Although the junta declared March 31 to April 6 a national mourning period for earthquake victims, it continues daily airstrikes, military offensives, and ground-level arson attacks.
In contrast, the National Unity Government (NUG) has announced a two-week suspension of offensive operations—excluding defensive actions—as a mark of respect for those affected by the disaster.
