26 May 2026 By Ko Myo
HPA-AN, Myanmar — A military airstrike has struck a residential area in the opposition-controlled town of Kyaikdon, killing three women and leaving a teenager severely wounded, ethnic Karen administrative authorities announced on Tuesday.
The attack occurred at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, 24 May, when a single junta fighter jet dropped ordnance near the entrance bridge of Kyaikdon, directly hitting civilian properties located within Nyaungdon (Nohtaw) Township, according to an official statement by the Karen National Union (KNU) Central. Local monitors emphasized that the deadly air raid took place despite the complete absence of any active ground clashes or military movements in the area.
The targeted sector is situated on the opposite bank of the main town bridge, an area well-known for hosting small clusters of roadside shops and family residences.
“When we operated near that sector previously, it was just a regular row of civilian shops and houses,” a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighter told MPA. “There are absolutely no KNU or PDF military barracks established anywhere near that perimeter. The military simply launched this strike to slaughter innocent civilians for their own amusement. It is an outright act of terror against ordinary people.”
The KNU Central reported that along with the three fatalities, two other civilians—including a 16-year-old girl—sustained shrapnel injuries. The heavy blast radius also entirely demolished two civilian homes and crushed a private passenger vehicle.
“We are still attempting to track the medical progress of the survivors,” the PDF fighter added. “We received preliminary information that one of the victims was admitted with life-threatening trauma, but we have not received any further confirmation regarding additional fatalities.”
Kyaikdon has remained under the administrative control of the KNU’s Duplaya District for a significant period.
Military analysts suggest that as the junta faces acute infantry deficits and loses control over major cross-border trading arteries, the high command has increasingly resorted to a scorched-earth air campaign. By launching unprovoked airstrikes against stable, rebel-administered civilian zones, the regime aims to break public morale and disrupt parallel administrative structures, even if it means inflicting devastating collateral damage on non-combatant populations.
