Myanmar Military Junta Bombs School in Bilin Township

School buildings and civilian homes were damaged after the Myanmar military junta launched an airstrike on Kyathaungseik Village in Bilin Township, Mon State, according to local sources.

At around 11 p.m. on September 19, a junta jet fighter dropped four 500-pound bombs targeting the eastern and western sections of the village.

The airstrike damaged three school buildings, a staff quarter, and two homes in the western part of the village, as well as two additional school buildings and 36 homes in the eastern part, according to a statement by the Karen National Union (KNU).

Roughly 45 minutes later, junta forces stationed in nearby Kataingti fired four 120mm artillery shells into western Kyathaungseik, damaging farmland and local workplaces.

“The military bombed both sides of the village, directly striking the areas where the schools are located,” a local source said. “School buildings and houses were heavily damaged.”

Despite the extensive physical destruction, no civilian casualties were reported.

Kyathaungseik Village is situated in territory administered by KNU Brigade 1. Local sources confirmed there was no active fighting in the area prior to or during the strike.

Junta forces have persistently conducted ground operations, indiscriminate artillery shelling, and airstrikes targeting civilian settlements across KNU Brigade 1 territory.

In August, an artillery shell fired by junta troops hit a football field in nearby Zeepyaung Village, killing one child and injuring nine others.

The KNU stated that the military junta continues to violate ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus by carrying out widespread attacks on civilians using military aircraft, drones, and heavy artillery, accusing the regime of committing war crimes, unlawful arrests, and extrajudicial killings.

Photo: Crd