Ongoing fighting in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, has led to a series of deadly attacks on civilian areas unrelated to the conflict, with at least three people killed in Myauk Phyu village between 3 and 4 August, according to local residents.

“One person died yesterday, and two men died this morning due to heavy weapon attacks by the military,” a local from Myauk Phyu told Mizzima on 4 August.

Clashes near Nyaung Pin Kone continue to intensify, prompting the junta to indiscriminately fire heavy artillery into nearby villages.

“The fighting is happening close by. Last night and even now, they have fired into unrelated villages with heavy weapons, and many civilians have been affected,” said a resident of Hpakant.

According to a 4 August statement by the Kachin Human Rights Watch (KHRW), at least 12 civilians were killed recently in Hpakant and Kutkai Township, northern Shan State, due to attacks by the junta and unidentified armed groups.

Earlier, on 3 July, a drone strike hit a monastery in Ah Hmat Pone village, Hpakant Township, killing a woman and a man and injuring 12 others. On 31 July, an artillery shell exploded in Hmaw Si Sa village, killing two children and their mother.

In Kutkai Township, a junta airstrike on 30 July targeted the New Century Hotel, killing six people, including a child, and injuring eight others.

KHRW also reported that a man was shot dead on 10 July in front of the Sky Hotel in Maw Si Sa village by an unidentified armed group.

The rights group has called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to urgently investigate the ongoing violence, halt attacks on civilians, and prioritize protection for communities under threat.