An aircraft bombed areas east of Shwegu Township in Kachin State where tensions have been escalating, resulting in two villages being completely destroyed.
On March 31 st the Military Council carried out an airstrike on the villages of Si Mu Lay and Man Wane. These attacks were directed towards areas where military conflict between the Military Council, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDF) have been escalating. According to a resident of Shwegu, almost the entire village of Si Mu Lay was devastated by intense aerial bombardment.
A local told KNG. “At around 12:00 noon today, a single aircraft dropped another round of bombs. I saw that almost the entire village of Si Mu Lay was engulfed in flames. But Man Wane is considerably distant from here, so we can’t determine the exact situation.”
She added, “ The Military Council’s troops are setting fire to Si Mu Lay village on the ground, in addition to the Air Force bombings, resulting in the complete destruction of the village.”
Due to various obstacles preventing the villagers from returning to Si Mu Lay, it remains almost impossible to determine the full extent of the damage in the village with accuracy.
On March 23rd, the Military Council sent three columns of troops into the two villages.
Following their deployment, at least five battles broke out, and air raids were subsequently triggered. The battles led to casualties among the Military Council, and the military tensions in the region are still on the rise. Consequently, the residents of about eight villages in the area are currently fleeing to the town of Shuwgu, which is relatively calm and free from fighting.
“There were no casualties since the villagers had fled their village before the incident. However the extent of property damage, specifically the number of houses burned, is currently unknown. Due to the presence of soldiers in the area, the villagers remain unable to return to their homes out of fear for their safety”, she explained. That was the second time for the villages of Si Mu Lay and Man Wane experiencing the brutal air raids.
