At least seven children and another civilian were killed, and an unknown number were injured, by an airstrike on a church in Konelaw village of Momauk Township, located on the Myitkyina-Bhamo Road 87 miles (140 km) south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, on Friday.
“It hit inside the church compound. The children were playing football when it struck. The church was destroyed,” a resident told DVB. Another airstrike was reported by residents in Mayekhathaung village, which is located 17 miles (22 km) from Konelaw village.
“After bombing Konelaw, the [military] bombed Mayekhathaung village as well. The worst impact was [at the church]” another resident told DVB. The villages are home to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, housing civilians who’ve fled their homes due to conflict in Kachin State between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), along with pro-military and anti-coup forces.
The U.N. states that as of Nov. 11, there are currently over 3.4 million IDPs in Myanmar. Fighting between the KIA and the military has been ongoing in Momauk and Bhamo townships since July 24. The KIA has seized 12 towns since it launched its offensive on March 7, including the lucrative Myanmar-China border towns of Loije (Lwegel) and Pangwa.
The Institute for Strategy and Policy Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar), documented that over 3,000 airstrikes were carried out by the Myanmar Air Force between November 2023 and April 2024. It added that at least 452 airstrikes have occurred nationwide between July and September this year.
The independent research group Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica has documented that at least 1,044 civilians have been killed and 1,383 others have been injured due to armed conflict since July.
