7 killed as Myanmar military bombs village of 7,000

Seven civilians were killed and dozens injured in Katha Township, upper Sagaing Region of Myanmar on Wednesday when two of the country’s military jets bombed a large village of 7,000 people.

The junta bombed civilian targets in Moetar village after its troops suffered heavy losses in a clash with resistance forces several kilometres away, according to Katha-People’s Defense Force, reports The Irrawaddy.

On Wednesday morning, intense fighting broke out 3 to 5 kilometres from Moetar when a combined force of the Katha-PDF and All Burma Students’ Front (ABSDF) attacked a military detachment of around 100 troops from Kachin State heading to the village.

Around 20 regime soldiers are thought to have been killed or injured in the battle. After suffering heavy losses, the junta deployed two fighter jets from the air base in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina to attack the resistance forces.

Regime jets also dropped four bombs on Moetar village. One of the bombs hit a crowd attending a donation ceremony in the village, a Katha-PDF representative told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.