By Ko Myo / MPA
Evidence of a mass killing has emerged from Myanmar’s Bago Region, where at least 30 civilians were reportedly executed or killed by military air strikes after being used as human shields, according to local sources and resistance groups.
The Karen National Union (KNU) reported on Monday that a combined force of Myanmar military light infantry battalions carried out a series of atrocities in Kyaukkyi Township.
The incident began on 5 March when approximately 160 villagers from the Yedwingone village tract were rounded up and detained by junta troops.
According to the KNU, the situation turned into a bloodbath on 7 March following clashes with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
In an apparent act of retaliation or disregard for civilian life, the military launched air strikes using jet fighters and drones on the very area where they were holding the detainees.
The KNU confirmed that 25 of the captured civilians were killed in the bombardment, while another five were summarily executed by ground troops.
“The death toll is likely much higher than 30,” a resident of Nyaunglebin told the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA). “The military is still occupying the area, preventing a full recovery of the bodies. They are punishing these people simply because they live in territory they no longer control. It is an extreme and systematic act of cruelty.”
The National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Defence has released even grimmer figures, alleging that over 40 people were slaughtered.
Among the victims were three children, a pregnant woman, and the elderly, who were reportedly killed after four military columns from the 77th Light Infantry Division stormed the villages.
The KNU is currently verifying the identities of the deceased and warns that the number of victims could rise as more information filters out from the occupied zone.
Since the 2021 coup, the Myanmar junta has faced mounting international condemnation for its “scorched earth” policy and the increasing frequency of mass casualty events involving civilian populations in ethnic states.
