By Poe Sangle / MPA
Due to rumors that the military junta is planning airstrikes on Kutkai, a town controlled by the Ta’ang Army-TNLA in Northern Shan State, some residents have fled the town with shops closed, according to reports.
On August 27, 2024, junta reconnaissance aircraft frequently flew over Kutkai, uplifting fears among locals of an imminent air attack.
“Yesterday, no shops opened. Today, some grocery stores opened, but public activity has decreased significantly. It is not the same as before. People are worried that another round of bombing might happen, and with aircraft constantly flying overhead, many shops do not dare to open,” a local man from Kutkai noted.
Additionally, the town’s market, which operates every five days and was scheduled to open today, only opened for a while before closing again due to fears of an airstrike, as the source added.
On August 5, an airstrike by the military junta on the main market in Kutkai caused the deaths of six civilians and injuries to 12 others with more than 400 stalls destroyed by fire during that attack.
“Last time, they bombed without warning. This time, we’re afraid it could happen again, so no one dares to go into town. The talk that the military might bomb between the 27th and 29th of this month has made the situation worse. Some people have even locked up their houses and fled to our village,” a woman from Pan Ku village in Kutkai Township explained.
Furthermore, on August 27, at around 11 PM, the military council conducted an airstrike on a high school in Ward 9 of Kyaukme Township dropping a 500-pound bomb, which destroyed the school and five nearby houses.
Regarding the ongoing airstrikes in TNLA-controlled Townships, the TNLA’s information officers were unreachable despite attempts to contact them via phone.
Since the commencement of the 1027 Operation launched by the Three Northern Brotherhood Alliance on October 27, 2023, a total of 16 towns in Northern Shan State have been seized, including Kutkai, which TNLA and allied forces seized on January 16, 2024.
Additionally, on August 12, the junta deployed an airstrike on Namhsan, which TNLA had captured during the first phase of the 1027 Operation, resulting in the death of one civilian, injury of another, and the destruction of five houses.
