An airstrike by the junta on Sadon Town in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, has killed eight civilians and injured six, according to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Around noon on September 29, a junta jet fighter carried out the airstrike on Sadon, conducting four bombing runs.

KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu accused the junta of committing war crimes by launching an airstrike on civilian areas in Sadon, despite there being no active clashes in the town.

“The junta deliberately bombed civilian areas in the town, killing some vendors. Three or four children also died, injured as they were on their way home from school. So far, we have received reports of eight civilians killed and six injured, though we cannot fully confirm the numbers yet. There were no active clashes in Sadon, yet the junta carried out the attack. It may have done so out of spite, as it lost control of the town last year. We want to stress that airstrikes targeting civilians are heinous acts, war crimes,” Colonel Naw Bu told MNJ.

Sadon, located on the main highway linking Waingmaw and Kan Paik Ti in Kachin State, has been under KIA control since June 11, 2024.

A witness from the town said that children were among the dead.

KIA Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sumlut Gun Maw posted photos of the children’s bodies on social media after the airstrike, writing: “Your perpetrators are no longer human.”

Some of the bombs dropped by junta aircraft in Sadon exploded near a school. Citing this incident, a political analyst warned that schools in other KIA-controlled areas should also remain vigilant against the threat of airstrikes.