Kawtoolei, August (10)
The number of civilian deaths has increased due to the deliberate targeting of civilians by the military council in the KNU-controlled Kawthoolei area, the KNU said in its statement.
Because the junta army and the BGF are conducting military operations and committing human rights violations continuously in the Kawthoolei area, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Karen National Defence Force (KNDO) clash with them on a daily basis.
In July, 19 civilians were killed and 26 others injured as a result of the military council’s airstrikes, motor shelling, landmines, and arrests and assassinations of civilians during the fighting between the two sides.
The civilian death toll has increased compared to June, and 12 civilians were killed and 15 were injured due to arrests and killings by the military council in June.
In addition, nearly 40 houses, including a monastery, and 25 motorcycles were destroyed due to heavy weapons and arson attacks by the junta. According to KNU, local people arrested by the military council were not only tortured but also used as guides and human shields.
Civilian killings, arrests, and home destruction are most common in the 3rd Brigade of KNU’s Nyaunglaybin District.
According to a KNU statement, more than 94,000 people have fled the Thaton District, over 60,000 people have left the Nyaunglaybin District, and numerous locals have left six other districts as a result of the military council’s human rights violations against civilians.
Over 300,000 local residents are reportedly escaping the violence in the KNU-controlled territory, and they are in need of humanitarian aid, according to Karen civil society organizations.
News- Than Lwin Times
Thanlwintimes