Three civilians were injured, and three houses were destroyed in a junta airstrike on a resistance force rear camp in Henar Village, Katha Township in Sagaing Region, at about 11:00 am on 24 February 2025.
The rear camp belonged to the Moe Tar Sub-Township People's Defence Force (PDF). It is well behind the frontlines and supplied logistical support to the PDF fighters on the frontline. Fortunately, none of the injuries sustained by the civilians, who all lived close to the camp, were serious.
According to a woman who lived close to the camp, hours after the junta’s first airstrike at 11:00 am another junta plane dropped a bomb on the area but it failed to explode.
She said: “The junta targeted a rear camp of the Moe Tar Sub-Township People's Defence Force (PDF). The first bomb was dropped around 11:00 am, and another bomb followed at about 1:00 pm, but it didn’t explode. The first bomb hit a roadside area, destroying some houses. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but three civilians were injured.”
The bomb that exploded completely destroyed three houses and caused damage to four others.
Before the February 2021 coup the bombed area of Henar Village was a bustling market, but following the coup junta soldiers were deployed there and the local residents fled. When the junta forces withdrew from the area the Moe Tar Sub-Township PDF started using it as a rear camp.
A member of Moe Tar Sub-Township PDF said: “There has been no enemy movement in the area since 2023. Nowadays, junta troops only patrol the urban and town outskirts [of Katha Town] in Katha Township. It’s believed the junta bombs areas where it can no longer send troops, suspecting that resistance forces may be hiding there.”
Katha Township is close to Kachin State's second largest town, Bhamo Town, a strategically important area where there is heavy ongoing fighting.
On 23 February 2025, junta airstrikes injured five civilians when they hit four locations in Shwegu Township, which neighbours Katha Township.
In recent days the junta has increased the number of airstrikes it is carrying out across the country. In the past week, 14 civilians have been killed in junta airstrikes on Kachin Independence Army (KIA) controlled territory in Kachin State.
