The military junta launched airstrikes on Panaung and Khunnawa villages near Ahnankwin in Kyainseikgyi Township, Karen State, on February 26, resulting in civilian casualties, according to local sources.
Yesterday afternoon, a jet fighter targeted the monastery in Panaung village, near Ahnankwin, injuring five individuals, including two monks, a man, a woman, and a child.
Following the attack on Panaung, the military junta continued aerial bombardment on Khunnawa village. Reports indicate that the airstrike killed a woman named Daw Naw Thitkaw and injured three other women.
“Airstrikes have been intensifying around the Ahnankwin region, with drone strikes occurring almost daily. Yesterday, the Panaung Monastery was targeted, resulting in casualties,” a local source said.
The airstrikes damaged at least three houses, as well as monasteries in both Panaung and Khunnawa villages.
On February 18, the military junta carried out an airstrike on Kanyin village, near Ahnankwin, using a Y-8 aircraft, injuring four civilians.
“The neighboring village is in this condition, but our village has lost everything—our homes, the monastery, the school, and even the farmlands that once sustained us. We have no choice but to seek refuge in other villages. Witnessing the destruction of our community has severely affected our morale,” said a displaced woman from Ahnankwin.
Since June 2024, the conflict over control of the Ahnankwin camp has displaced thousands of residents from at least 10 surrounding villages. Many remain unable to return home, forced to seek safety elsewhere.
In villages such as Ahnankwin, Panaung, Putaw, Kanyin, Phayar, and Zeehnitpin—where no direct clashes have occurred—the military junta has conducted continuous aerial surveillance and airstrikes, targeting areas believed to be under resistance control. On the ground, junta forces have systematically burned down residential homes.
The military junta has also designated non-military structures—including religious buildings, hospitals, schools, and civilian residences—as military targets, continuing airstrikes on these locations. In response, resistance groups in the region have issued warnings to civilians, urging them to remain vigilant and take precautions against airstrike threats in their daily lives.
