Myanmar junta airstrikes kill two and injure 18 across KNU Brigade 5 territory

Mizzima

The Myanmar military junta launched a series of coordinated airstrikes on 11 and 12 March, targeting villages in the Dweiloe Township of Hpapun District an area under the administrative control of the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 5.

At least four jet fighters carried out the initial assault, which focused on the villages of Pharwahta, Wetkhawpa, Winmaung, Malaykyauk, and Maepanwa, resulting in a confirmed toll of two deaths and 18 injuries among local residents.

Two villagers from Pharwahta village were killed and 10 others were injured in the bombings. In addition, one woman from Wetkhawpa village and seven villagers from Malaykyauk village were injured, bringing the total number of casualties to two deaths and 18 injuries.

“The first bomb fell near the mouth of Maepali Stream, hitting a floating raft platform and injuring a woman. The second bomb hit a gold-mining hut near Malaykyauk village, causing it to catch fire. Seven people were injured there. The third bomb struck a gold-mining hut near Pharwahta village, where the impact was the most severe. Two people were killed, and about 10 others were injured. Another bomb fell near Maepanwa and Maewaing villages, but there was no damage there,” a source said.

Regarding the airstrikes, Lt. Col. Saw Kalae Do, spokesperson for KNU Brigade (5), said, “They are a military dictatorship, so they treat all areas they cannot control as enemy territory and bomb them with aircraft. They kill those who resist and pursue those who flee. They will not spare anyone who challenges their authority.”

The KNU Brigade (5) spokesperson also added that on the same day a church and a seminary in Ward (4) of Hpapun Township were hit by airstrikes, causing damage to the buildings.

Sources also reported that another airstrike took place in the Maewai area of Brigade (5) territory on 12 March, though Mizzima has not yet been able to independently confirm the details.

In Hpapun, where the military junta maintains its largest base in the KNU Brigade (5) area, tensions remain high between the junta army and joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The junta’s ground supply routes in the area remain blocked.