Myanmar air strike claims 15 lives in Kachin state market: Rebel group

At least 15 civilians were killed and 10 others injured in an air strike carried out by Myanmar’s military junta on a market in a gold-mining area in northern Kachin state, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (ethnic rebel group) informed on Sunday.

The attack occurred around 11:00 am on Saturday in Tanaing Township, a mining hub in the western part of Kachin state, colonel Naw Bu of the KIA told news agency AFP.

"All those killed were civilians including gold miners and local shopkeepers," he said.
Three of the wounded succumbed to their injuries later.

The KIA, which has roughly 7,000 fighters, has been engaged in a decades-long struggle for autonomy and control of the region’s resources, including its vast jade mines and rare earth elements, most of which are exported to China.

Images from local media revealed a large crater and extensive devastation at the site, with debris scattered across the flattened market area.

The strike is the latest in a series of junta attacks targeting civilians as it seeks to suppress widespread resistance following the 2021 military coup. The region has witnessed intensified clashes between the junta and the KIA, which has been accused of supporting the newer People's Defence Forces fighting the military regime.

In a separate incident, the Arakan Army reported that the junta dropped 15 bombs in three attacks on a public market in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, on Saturday. While it confirmed civilian casualties and injuries, the exact number remains unverified.

The Arakan Army, like the KIA, is engaged in an ongoing conflict with the junta for territorial control.