Thirty-eight homes and two school buildings were destroyed by airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force in Bilin Township’s Kya Thaung Seik village, Mon State, on Saturday. Bilin Township is located 69 miles (111 km) north of Mon State capital Mawlamyine and is located within Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 1 territory.
“There were no casualties as people had already fled the village due to fighting,” a Bilin resident told DVB, referring to the ongoing battle between regime forces and one of the KNU armed wings, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
Bilin residents added that the airstrikes were followed by an artillery attack on the same village. “The Myanmar military continues to carry out attacks against civilian populations across Myanmar using aircraft, drones, and artillery,” the KNU stated on Monday, accusing the military of committing “war crimes.”
On Sept. 6, a 10-year-old child was killed by artillery in Kyaikto Township, 53 miles (85 km) northeast of Mawlamyine and 25 miles (40 km) south of Bilin.
Over 13,000 residents from 13 villages in Bilin Township fled their homes following regime airstrikes and artillery attacks in August, according to the KNU.
