Deadly Airstrikes in Northern Burma Kill, Injure Dozens of Civilians

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Burmese junta forces fired airstrikes on a village in the country’s northwest on Thursday, killing at least 10 civilians and injuring 20 more, as the military intensified efforts to tackle opposition groups, according to independent news reports.

The Chin National Army (CNA), an ethnic armed rebel group in Burma (also known as Myanmar), claimed that junta forces dropped four bombs on the Khuafo village, just north of the Chin State town of Thantlang.

The attack reportedly killed 10 people, including four women and a child, Myanmar Now said, while the Associated Press put the death toll at eight. The Epoch Times could not independently confirm the figures.

“There are concerns that the death toll may rise,” CNA spokesperson Salai Htet Ni was quoted as saying by Myanmar Now.

He said that junta forces attacked Thantlang town shortly after launching airstrikes on Khuafo but did not elaborate.

Thantlang was among the 37 townships placed under martial law by the junta in February, but ethnic rebels claimed to have seized much of the town.

On Feb. 9, the CNA and its allied groups seized the junta’s police station in Thantlang, killing at least four junta troops and driving out nearly 40 soldiers and police stationed there. The junta has since increased air raids on the town to regain control.

In his speech for the Armed Forces Day on Monday, the junta’s leader, senior general Min Aung Hlaing, vowed that his military would take decisive action against “terrorist groups” that are challenging his rule.

“The terror acts of the NUG [National Unity Government] and its lackey so-called PDFs [People’s Defense Forces] are needed to be tackled for good and all,” he said.

“The [military] and the government also need to take action against this terrorist group, trying to devastate the country and killing people,” the junta leader added.

The military junta on Tuesday dissolved 40 political parties, including the party led by deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, for failing to re-register by the deadline. The decision was made ahead of an election that the junta plans to hold later this year.

The United States condemned the junta’s decision to abolish political parties, saying that “any election without the participation of all stakeholders in Burma would not be and cannot be considered free or fair.”

“And given the widespread opposition to military rule, the regime’s unilateral push towards elections likely will escalate instability,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

In this photo, provided by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), smokes and flames billow from vehicles in Hpruso township, Kayah state, Myanmar, on Dec. 24, 2021. (KNDF via AP)

Burma has been in turmoil since the military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of the military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

The pro-democracy resistance that arose allied itself with several ethnic minorities, including the CNA, that have been carrying out an armed struggle for decades seeking greater autonomy. The military has sought to suppress such opposition with air and artillery strikes, with civilians often the victims.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an exile group that monitors human rights in Burma, said that at least 3,185 people had been killed through military action against the pro-democracy movement since the army takeover.

About 17,067 people have been detained since the military seized control, of which 5,264 are serving sentences. Some 150 people have been sentenced to death, according to the AAPP.

“These are the numbers verified by AAPP. The actual numbers are likely much higher,” the group said on Thursday.

Fifty junta troops raided and set fire to Sone village in Budalin Township, Sagaing region, on March 25, killing seven people, including visually-impaired persons. The AAPP said that 180 houses were burned down.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.