Myanmar Spring Chronicle – October 3rd View
(MoeMaKa) October 4, 2024
Airstrikes on Villages in Lashio and Taungkok Townships
One of the daily occurrences in the news is the military junta’s airstrikes. The junta’s air force, which operates fighter jets, attack helicopters, and training aircraft, provides support to ground forces during battles. They not only launch airstrikes but also gather ground intelligence to target ethnic armed groups, PDF forces’ camps, and administrative offices, conducting nationwide bombings.
Ethnic armed groups and PDF forces lack adequate weapons and defense systems to counter airstrikes effectively. Therefore, their only option is to disseminate information about the aircrafts’ takeoff and resort to sheltering in bombproof bunkers or dispersed camp setups.
For civilians, it is not always easy to live far from military targets like offices or areas where armed forces are concentrated. Many can’t afford to build safe bomb shelters at their homes, and they are forced to live where they can find work and resources, which often puts them at risk of death or injury from airstrikes.
While it’s difficult to know exactly how much damage the ethnic armed groups and PDF forces have suffered, civilian casualties and injuries are reported almost daily. Despite international calls for a halt to the sale of aviation fuel, aircraft, and spare parts to the military junta, full success remains elusive. Russia, China, Vietnam, and other countries continue to recognize the junta as the legitimate government, enabling them to procure aviation fuel and spare parts from these countries.
Since Myanmar’s civil war lacks foreign intervention, there is little chance that any country will provide or sell anti-aircraft defense systems to counter the junta’s airstrikes. The inability to obtain such weapons leaves the defense forces vulnerable.
In recent days, the junta launched airstrikes on Khaung Laung Doo Village in Taungkok Township, claiming it was the headquarters of the AA armed group. The attacks, although aimed at armed groups, have resulted in civilian casualties. Just a few days before this attack, the junta also bombed Thantwe town, which had been captured by the AA forces.
Today’s news not only covers the airstrikes in Taungkok but also a bombing in Lashio, one of the largest towns in northern Shan State, where the junta reportedly dropped bombs four times between the night of October 3 and early October 4. Casualty information is still unclear, as early reports have yet to confirm the details.
It is believed that the junta’s airstrikes on a major town like Lashio aim to disrupt the local governance and force the population to flee. The junta may also be attempting to retake control of the town by launching a counteroffensive, as most residents have already left, leaving behind a few civilians who have no means to escape. Lashio, being a strategically and economically important town in northern Shan State, remains unstable, and it seems unlikely that the town’s residents will be able to live in peace anytime soon.