At least three students and one teacher were killed and seven other students were injured when the junta
forces conducted an air attack over
a villages in Phapon (Mutaw) district of Karen State on
Thursday.
The victims have been identified as Saw Aye Mula (14 years
old), Saw Bogyi (13)
and Naw Thi Khu Phao (16) along with teacher Saw Pha Da (56), who hailed from Hti Gota
village under Dolo township.
The incident took place at around 6:30 am on 7 September,
when the military jet
fighter bombarded the village.
Karen National Union (KNU) confirmed that those students and teacher were killed in the air strike. Seven
students also sustained injuries.
The military jet fighters attacked two more villages namely Kha Layda and Thar Kae Kae on 8 September.
Attacks were also reported in Kae Yuday
and Thay Thukee areas of Karen State.
The air attack was conducted as a retaliatory action against Karen National Liberation Army’s brigade
number 5, which captured the Kheypu-based
junta camp at 5:30 am on 6 September.
KNU spokesperson Pado Saw Ka Klesay said that as the number of casualties on the junta side increases,
they made targeted attacks on the
public.
“If we consider it, more and more acts of war crimes have
been committed by the junta
forces,” he added.
Due to the air attack, residents of several villages namely Le Hao, Naw Ro Htha, Thay Thu
Kee, Cay Yu Daw and Kheypu fled to different places. Meanwhile, 11 basic schools were declared closed.
The exact number of fleeing villagers into the jungles is not yet known. But it’s understood that they
have been facing various difficulties
to survive and those displaced people are in need of urgent assistance, stated the KNU spokesperson.