The junta used sophisticated suicide drones (loitering munitions) to target civilians in villages in Mawkmai Township, southern Shan State.

The junta and its allied Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) launched suicide drone attacks on the PNLA-controlled Kadugyi area in Mawkmai Township, according to locals and the PNLA sources.

“The junta targeted villages, not active combat zones. It used drones and artillery to strike residential areas, which is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. Kadugyi was once a peaceful place, but now it is being turned into a battlefield,” said Khun Rein Yan, spokesperson for the PNLA.

Banmet, Mu Hine and Hambwar villages in the Kadugyi area were struck by the junta for nearly a full day on February 13. The TNLA seized five drones used by the junta during the attacks.

The junta and the PNO coalition are increasingly using Chinese-made FPV suicide drones equipped with 60mm grenades, which can be remotely controlled using VR headsets.

Khun Rein Yan warned that these drones use a fiber-optic cable system instead of radio frequencies for communication, allowing them to carry out more precise attacks.

In the first week of January, the junta and PNO raided several villages in the Kadugyi area, setting fire to multiple homes.

In Kadugyi, artillery shelling and drone strikes destroyed 20 houses and injured several residents within a single month.

Residents from several Kadugyi villages have been displaced by the junta's artillery bombardments and are now hiding in the forests, urgently needing humanitarian aid.