A child was killed when the junta shelled Mawshan Village in Hsengtaung (Seikmu) Village Tract, Hpakant Township, Kachin State.

At around 4:00 pm on September 17, a junta artillery strike killed a 9-year-old child, injured four others, and destroyed two houses, a Hpakant Township resident told MNJ. “One child died on the spot,” he said.

After retaking Sankywei Village, part of the Hsengtaung Village Tract, on September 17, the junta continued shelling Hsengtaung, Mawshan, Lana, and Sai Jar Bum villages with artillery.

Another Hpakant resident said these villages have been under artillery fire from the junta’s division headquarters based in Hpakant Town since around 5:00 am on September 17.

Since the junta columns entered Hpakant Township about four months ago, the Hpakant-based headquarters has been bombarding nearby villages with artillery and launching frequent drone strikes.

On September 6, the junta launched an offensive on Mhawtaung and Sankywei villages, triggering clashes with a coalition of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Kachin People’s Defence Force (Kachin PDF). On September 17, it retook both villages from the KIA.

Junta columns have been operating across Hpakant Township, including the town center, sparking frequent skirmishes with the KIA-PDF coalition.