26 April 2026 By Nway
HPAKANT, Myanmar — A 36-year-old woman was killed and a man injured when Myanmar military forces opened fire on a civilian vehicle travelling along the strategic Hpakant-Kamaing road in northern Kachin State.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon near Nant Yar village. According to local sources, junta troops stationed in the area fired upon a car travelling from the Son See Maw mining district toward Hpakant, striking a female passenger in the head.
The victim has been identified as Ma Shwe Sin Oo. A resident of Hpakant told MPA that she is believed to have died instantly after a bullet struck her temple. “The body has been returned to the family for funeral rites,” the resident said. “The driver, who is the victim’s father-in-law, also sustained a minor head injury but has since been discharged from medical care.”
The Hpakant-Kamaing road is a vital artery for the region’s jade mining industry but has become increasingly dangerous as tensions escalate between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
The shooting follows a formal travel warning issued by the KIA on 22 April, advising civilians to avoid the road due to the high likelihood of impending military clashes. Despite the warning, many residents and commercial trucks have continued to use the route out of economic necessity.
“While the KIA issued the stay-away order, the military still maintains physical control over checkpoints along the Nant Yar and Kamaing stretch,” the resident added. “People are still travelling because they have no other choice, essentially taking a gamble with their lives every time they get on the road.”
The military junta has not yet issued a statement regarding the shooting. However, human rights monitors have frequently documented the military’s use of lethal force against civilian vehicles at checkpoints or in “high-tension” zones without prior warning.
As of Sunday evening, no major clashes between the KIA and the junta have been reported in the immediate vicinity, but the atmosphere remains heavily militarised. For the family of Ma Shwe Sin Oo, the warning of a coming battle came too late, as they become the latest casualties in a conflict that continues to treat the road to Myanmar’s jade capital as a free-fire zone.
