About 50 people were killed and 70 others injured in an attack by the Burmese Air Force against a group of rebels, a spokesman for the group said on Monday (October 24th).
“Sunday around 8:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. Paris time), two Burmese military planes attackeda ceremony organized by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Colonel Naw Bu told AFP. “Around 50 people were killed, including KIA personnel and civilianshe said, adding that around 70 people were injured.
Clashes between the KIA and the army for decades
Local media reported that up to 60 KIA soldiers and civilians had died. In images shared by these media, we can see debris strewn on the ground, which they present as being the result of these attacks. The United Nations office in Burma said to itself “deeply concerned and saddened by reports of airstrikes that took place in Hpakant, Kachin State“.
“Early reports suggest more than 100 civilians may have been affected by the shelling“, he said in a statement. “Many deaths were also reported“, he continued. When contacted, a spokesperson for the Burmese junta declined to comment on this information. There have been regular clashes between the KIA and the army for decades and intense fighting broke out following last year’s coup in Burma.
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