At least 20 civilians were killed and an unknown number were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on three villages in Wetlet Township of Sagaing Region on Thursday, according to the Wetlet Information Network.
“[The Myanmar Air Force] dropped many bombs onto three villages in the east of the township on Thursday,” Nagarlay, the spokesperson of Wetlet Information Network told DVB.
The resistance group, which shares information from Sagaing and Mandalay Regions, added that the death toll is likely to increase as some of the injured civilians are in critical condition. Wetlet is located 50 miles (80 km) east of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa.
Ko Kyaw, a spokesperson for the People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Wetlet told DVB that there was no ongoing fighting between regime and resistance forces in the area when the airstrikes occurred.
He added that the Myanmar Air Force was providing security to 15 Navy vessels and boats anchored in the Irrawaddy River on their way to Singu and Shwebo townships, which are located 58-68 miles (93-109 km) north of Mandalay.
A total of five military vessels and seven cargo ships fired many artillery at villages along the river, resulting in an unknown number of civilian casualties, according to the Wetlet Information Network. The vessels had departed from Gaw Wein Jetty in Mandalay and were reportedly transporting food and weapons.
Zin Yaw, a Myanmar military defector and member of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), told Mawkun Magazine on Friday that the vessels were providing reinforcements to regime forces in Bhamo, Kachin State.
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched an offensive to seize control of Bhamo from the regime on Dec. 4. It is located 120 miles (193 km) south of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina and 58 miles (93 km) southwest of Laiza, the KIA headquarters.
