An artillery shell fired by the junta's 602nd Field Artillery Battalion struck Pyinkatoekone Village in Kyaikto Township, Mon State, resulting in the deaths of eight civilians, according to local sources.
The incident occurred on July 23 at approximately 9:30 AM, when the shell hit the village, killing seven men, including two 18-year-olds, and one woman. Additionally, at least six other individuals sustained injuries.
Following intense combat between junta forces and resistance groups in Kyauktanlay Village—part of the Pyinkatoekone Village Tract—the junta increased its artillery bombardments targeting Kyauktanlay Village and Theinzayat Village, a villager informed IMNA.
"Villagers are compelled to evacuate due to the junta's frequent and indiscriminate artillery shelling. They return to their homes when the situation temporarily improves. The junta forces frequently shell villages in advance of ground operations, but they also launched artillery bombardments even in the absence of such operations," the villager said.
Residents reported that the junta frequently targets villages with artillery strikes, asserting unfounded claims that resistance forces are mingling with the local population in these areas.
In early July, junta forces intensified their operations in Kyaikto, leading to increased civilian casualties through arrests, killings, and artillery bombardments of villages.
Despite a lack of reported hostilities in the area, junta troops continued to conduct arbitrary shelling and ground operations, displacing residents from seven villages, including Ingabo, Kanni, and Kyauktanlay.
According to the Lagon Eain News Bulletin, junta artillery attacks and human rights violations in Mon State resulted in at least ten civilian deaths and 26 injuries in June.
