The junta carried out airstrikes in a single day on four towns controlled by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), located in northern Shan State and nearby Mandalay Region.
On October 19, Namhsan, Mantong, Mongngawt towns in northern Shan State, and Mogok Town in Mandalay Region were hit by the junta's bombing strikes.
At around 2:00 pm that day, the junta deployed a jet fighter to drop a 250-pound bomb west of Mogok Town, destroying a poultry farm in the nearby Kyaukhpar Village.
“The bomb hit a poultry farm, but luckily no locals were hurt. Everyone here is on high alert. We really can’t predict what might happen next. All the roads between Mogok and Momeik (Mongmit) are closed. If there are any ground clashes, at least we can choose which way to run. But with airstrikes, they can come at any moment, so there’s no time to escape,” said a woman from Mogok Town.
On the same day, around 12:30 pm, a junta fighter jet bombed Namhsan, a town controlled by the TNLA, causing an explosion near a fire station in Namhwaw Ward that injured two civilians. Two houses, a factory, and several firefighting vehicles were also damaged.
Furthermore, the junta dropped a 250-pound bomb on Aungchanthar Ward in Mantong Town, destroying six houses. Loiping Village, near Mongngawt Town, was also hit by a junta airstrike, where two 250-pound bombs struck, damaging a monastery and a rest house.
The TNLA announced that 28-year-old Ko Aung Aung and 24-year-old Ko Chit San Maung were injured in the airstrike on Namhsan.
On October 18, a day before the four TNLA-controlled towns were hit, junta aircraft dropped two 250-pound bombs on Kunhei Village in Namhsan Township, killing six people including five women, and destroying 22 houses, according to the Ta'ang Women’s Organization (TWO).
In addition, two monks were killed when the junta dropped a 500-pound bomb on the 11-Mile Villa along the Kyaukme-Mongngawt Road, a location it recently regained control of.
Since October, the junta has intensified airstrikes on TNLA-controlled areas following its recapture of Kyaukme and Thibaw (Hsipaw), towns previously held by the TNLA, resulting in civilian casualties.
Between October 1 and 20, the junta carried out at least 30 airstrikes on TNLA-controlled towns of Namhsan, Mantong, Mongngawt, Namtu, Monglon, Mogok, and Momeik, killing 41 civilians, including 8 children, and injuring around 50, including 11 children. The strikes also destroyed 138 houses, three schools, and three monasteries, TNLA reported.
TNLA secretary-general Tar Bone Kyaw posted on Facebook that the TNLA is keeping track of everyone involved in, supporting, or praising airstrikes on civilian targets, and that they would face consequences in due course.
