Five civilians were killed when a junta column shelled a village in Bilin Township, Mon State, with artillery during its advance.

A column of around 100 troops advanced toward Pho Wa Thame Village and, before reaching it, fired four 120 mm artillery shells into the village at around 9:00 am on December 12.

The shelling killed five people, including two women, and injured four others. Shortly afterward, the military column entered the village and restricted residents’ movement.

“The soldiers won’t let villagers leave, so the wounded can’t be taken to the hospital,” a local told Than Lwin Times.

Separately, residents said another junta column entered Ahlugyi Village in Bilin Township on December 13, rounded up about 50 locals in the village center, and interrogated them.

Both villages where junta forces are operating are in Thaton District, which is the territory of the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 1. Than Lwin Times has contacted Brigade 1 officials about the incidents but has not yet received a response.

As junta-supervised elections approach, the coup regime’s artillery bombardments and military operations in Bilin Township have intensified, forcing residents in some areas to flee their homes.