Two civilians were killed in a junta airstrike on a cottage hospital in Sithar Village, Shwegu Township, Kachin State.

At around 7:30 a.m. on June 4, a junta fighter jet reportedly circled the target area three times before bombing the hospital.

A man and a woman were killed and another person was seriously injured in the junta airstrike, a villager told KNG.

“The fighter jet circled the area three times before dropping bombs. Two people were killed, one was critically injured, and several others sustained minor injuries,” he said.

Both victims were in their 30s, and their identities are still under investigation.

The junta aircraft dropped three 500-pound bombs, setting three hospital buildings and three motorcycles on fire.

“The hospital buildings were completely destroyed, and the motorcycles were also burned,” another witness reported.

Some locals were receiving medical treatment at the facility, but casualties were relatively low because they managed to evacuate through the rear exit in time when the attack occurred.

Sithar Village is currently under the control of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied resistance forces.

Since May 5, a junta column of around 800 troops has been attempting to advance along the road linking Mabein Town in northern Shan State with Shwegu, in an effort to reinforce Infantry Battalion 56 (IB 56), the garrison in Shwegu Town.

However, the KIA-led resistance coalition intercepted the junta forces, preventing them from entering Shwegu Township and leading to heavy clashes along the road.

Locals suggested that the bombing of the hospital, a civilian facility in KIA-controlled Sithar Village, was likely retaliation by the junta after it suffered setbacks and casualties in the fighting.