A barrage of heavy weapons fire struck a village in Kutkai Township, northern Shan State, on Thursday morning, killing a child and injuring seven other people, the News and Information Department of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has announced.
The casualties in Man Name Aum village came in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Major Tar Aik Kyaw, a member of the ethnic armed group’s information unit who often acts as a TNLA spokesperson. He said troops under the Burma Army’s No. 88 Light Infantry Division entered the village at about 6 a.m.
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“This morning Burma Army troops arrived at the entrance of the village and shot heavy weapons into the village about eight times,” Tar Aik Kyaw said. “Eight villagers got injured, and one died on the way to Kutkai Hospital due to severe injuries.”
The lone fatality was an 8-year-old boy. The injured, including a 7-year-old boy, are receiving medical treatment from a nurse in the village.
The TNLA said Thursday’s incident was not due to any fighting between the Burma Army and the TNLA.
The two sides have clashed on numerous occasions in recent years, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties.
