At least 30 young people who had arrived in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, to attend military training with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were killed in a junta airstrike on March 31, according to sources close to the KIA.
The attack targeted an area controlled by Brigade 8 of the KIA Fifth Battalion, where the young people were resting on their way to the KIA training ground.
KIA news channel Laiza TV reported that junta jet fighters struck the area twice despite the absence of battles on the ground.
The KIA information department had not released details of casualties as of press time, but a Kachin People’s Defense Force member revealed at least 30 young people were killed and 20 injured in the attack.
A source close to the KIA said: “The majority of the deceased were young men, with some young women among them. Most of those attacked were young people aged 20 to 27 who had decided to take up arms after fleeing forced conscription into the junta military.”
Local reports said the airstrikes targeted hundreds of youths heading to a KIA training site, killing 38. The Irrawaddy was unable to verify the reports independently.
The bombing was confirmed by KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu, who told Myanmar Now he had no information on the attack’s exact location or the condition of victims. Attempts to contact Naw Bu for an update have so far been unsuccessful.
While the National Unity Government (NUG), its PDFs, and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) have declared a unilateral ceasefire to facilitate delivery of aid to earthquake victims, the junta continues to conduct heavy artillery, drone, and aerial attacks in quake-hit areas.
Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing told a quake-relief donation ceremony in Naypyitaw that the regime would continue imposing “security measures” against EAOs training for future attacks even though they were not engaging junta troops.
Regime fighter jets and drones continued to launch strikes on April 1, following clashes between junta and KIA-led forces.
Locals also reported airstrikes in Kachin State’s Bhamo.
“The Myanmar military has been bombing Bhamo Township almost daily, despite the cessation of ground battles,” said a resident.
On March 31, junta fighter jets also launched four airstrikes on Indaw Township, on the Sagaing-Kachin border.
Since the 2021 coup, the KIA has been training, supplying, and fighting alongside newly formed local PDFs and other resistance groups, bolstered by an influx of recruits from central Myanmar.
To date, the KIA and allied forces have seized over 300 junta outposts and bases in Kachin State. They currently control around 15 towns and the former Kachin State Special Region 1, a rare-earth mining hub along the Chinese border. The KIA has also seized two towns in northern Shan State.
