BANGKOK (AP) — A military airstrike conducted by Myanmar’s armed forces has resulted in the deaths of 21 civilians and left 28 wounded in Hteelin village, Kachin state, according to reports from ethnic rebel groups and local media outlets. The attack occurred Thursday afternoon in a region where displaced persons had sought refuge from ongoing conflict.
Colonel Naw Bu, spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), confirmed that a jet fighter targeted a compound where mourners were conducting prayer services for the deceased. The strike also hit a displacement camp, educational facility, and local marketplace. Approximately 500 civilians, including internally displaced residents, were present in the village during the bombardment. Among the injured victims is an infant, with several individuals reported in critical condition.
The incident coincides with scheduled electoral activities in the northern township of Bhamo, where the final phase of Myanmar’s military-organized election process is set to occur this weekend. Independent verification remains challenging due to widespread internet blackouts and cellular service disruptions throughout the region. Kachin-based media organizations have circulated photographic and video evidence depicting casualties and structural damage resulting from the attack.
Myanmar has experienced prolonged political instability since the February 2021 military coup that ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Subsequent suppression of peaceful protests prompted armed resistance movements, with current estimates indicating over 7,700 fatalities resulting from security force operations.
The military administration has intensified aerial campaigns against pro-democracy forces and ethnic minority guerrilla groups, including the KIA, which maintains loose alliances with various resistance militias. Despite election preparations in 61 townships nationwide, KIA representatives assert that voting in Bhamo remains impossible due to their control over the urban center.
International observers and critics have denounced the three-stage electoral process as fundamentally flawed, citing the exclusion of major political parties and systematic suppression of dissent nearly five years after military seizure of power.