An airstrike on Hteelin village in Kachin State that was sheltering displaced people killed 21 and wounded 28, local media and the Kachin Independence Army said. Col. Naw Bu reported that a jet struck a compound where mourners had gathered, a displaced persons camp, a school and a market, and that about 500 people were in the village at the time. Communications in the area were largely cut off, preventing independent verification; local outlets posted images showing bodies and damaged buildings. The attack comes days before the final round of a military-planned, three-stage election amid years of armed conflict since the 2021 coup.
Rebels: Myanmar Airstrike Kills 21 In Village Sheltering Displaced People Ahead Of Election
This is a locator map for Myanmar with its capital, Naypyidaw. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
BANGKOK (AP) — An airstrike this week on Hteelin village in Kachin State — a settlement sheltering people displaced from nearby conflict zones — killed 21 people and wounded 28, local media and the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) reported Friday.
Col. Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, said the strike occurred Thursday afternoon and that a jet fighter bombed a compound where mourners had gathered for prayers, as well as a displaced persons camp, a school and the village market. He said roughly 500 people, including displaced residents, were in the village at the time. An infant is among the wounded and several victims remain in critical condition.
The reports could not be independently verified because internet and cellphone service in the area were largely cut off. Kachin-based media posted photos and videos that they said showed the aftermath — images of dead bodies and damaged buildings.
Context
Myanmar has been engulfed in widespread conflict since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. After peaceful protests were suppressed with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms and large parts of the country are now contested by ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy militias.
Non-governmental organizations estimate that security forces have killed more than 7,700 people since the coup. The military government has intensified airstrikes against the armed pro-democracy People’s Defense Force (PDF) and longstanding ethnic minority guerrilla groups fighting for greater autonomy.
The KIA is one of Myanmar’s most prominent ethnic rebel organizations; it manufactures some of its own weapons and is loosely allied with pro-democracy armed militias resisting military rule.
Election And Local Security
Bhamo — about 280 kilometers (175 miles) northeast of Mandalay — is one of three townships in Kachin State scheduled to hold the third and final round of a military-planned, three-stage election this weekend. Voting is to take place across 61 of the country’s 330 townships.
Col. Naw Bu said conducting the election in Bhamo would not be feasible because KIA and allied forces control the town center. Critics say the three-stage elections, held nearly five years after the military takeover, cannot be considered free or fair due to the exclusion of major political parties and the ongoing repression of dissent.
Note: Casualty and damage reports come from the KIA and local media; independent confirmation has been hampered by communications outages in the area.
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