Kawkayeik, 5 December
Tens of thousands of people have been fleeing their homes due to the military council’s artillery shelling as well as air strikes during the fighting in Karen State’s Kawkayeik Township, said sources.
The intense clashes were triggered as the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied resistance forces attacked the military outposts and camps in Kawkayeik since December 1.
The junta army pounded Kawkayeik and surrounding villages with airstrikes and bombings during the battle.
The junta bombardment killed four civilians, including two women, between December 1 and December 3, while several civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, according to KNU Brigade 6.
The four civilians who died were one from Ywar Thit Village, Phankharkon Village, and two from Mekane Village, Myawaddy.
The military council’s targeted attacks on the civilian population and the clashes between the two sides have forced 20,000 people to flee from Kawtnwe, Maungma Ywar Thit, Anhpagyi, and Ywar Dan Shae villages near Kawkayeik, and they are said to be in need of assistance.
At the moment, the civilians trapped by the fighting in Kawkayeik are leaving the town and fleeing to other areas.
On the morning of December 4, the junta army continued to bomb Kawkayeik, causing damage to residential buildings, said locals.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes