A junta artillery shell landed and exploded in Marau Village, part of the Mawsisar Village Tract in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, killing a married couple and a teenage minor.

An artillery shell fired from the junta’s Hpakant Town–based Tactical Command headquarters struck a house in Marau Village late on December 7, around midnight, killing three of the five residents, according to a villager.

“The three victims were a married couple and a 13-year-old child. An infant and another teenager were also in the house, but they survived unscathed,” he told KNG, citing rescue team members who rushed to assist the family.

The survivors were a 16-year-old and a 7-month-old infant, while the deceased were U Zaw Lwin Oo, 37, Daw Tin Moe Hlaing, 38, and Maung Phyo Wai Tun, 13.

“There haven’t been any heavy clashes in this area over the past few days. It’s actually been very calm, especially in the last two days. But at night, the junta has been firing artillery arbitrarily and shooting small arms into the air. We don’t know why it fired artillery at Marau Village,” another Hpakant resident said.

The junta often conducts nighttime artillery shelling on areas it believes could be hideouts of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and other resistance forces, causing anxiety and stress among locals, residents said.

In October and November, arbitrary shelling by the junta’s tactical command killed innocent civilians, including children, in villages such as Hsengtaung, Kadaymhaw, Mashikatong, and Tawmhaw.

The junta has deployed large forces to Hpakant Township and, since May, has intensified artillery barrages, causing an increase in civilian casualties.