Infant Among Four Killed in Myanmar Airstrikes

Myanmar’s military has intensified its aerial campaign, striking civilian villages in Wetlet Township on 6 January and killing an infant boy alongside three women. The sudden attack, carried out with three 300‑pound bombs, devastated Pauk Kan Station and Yay Thauk Kan villages within minutes, leaving homes flattened and residents traumatised.

Local sources insist there was no fighting in the area at the time. “They barefacedly targeted and attacked the civilian population,” one military insider told regional monitors, describing the strikes as deliberate assaults on non‑combatants.

A pattern of escalating violence

The Wetlet Informational Network reports that December alone saw 14 airstrikes in the township, killing 26 civilians, including two monks. Ground troops remain active nearby, accused of burning homes in Ywar Thit village earlier this month while receiving supplies flown in by military transport planes.

Displaced families under fire

The Wetlet attack came less than 24 hours after another airstrike in neighbouring Khin‑U Township. On 5 January, junta aircraft bombed an oil storage yard near Kongyi Village School, which was being used as a shelter for displaced families. Three internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed—two men and a woman—and ten others injured, several critically.

Officials stressed that the camp had no military significance. “The deceased were not local residents but displaced people from other townships,” said a representative of the Khin‑U Township People’s Administration, warning that medical teams are struggling to cope with the severity of injuries.

Emergency precautions urged

In response, township authorities have issued directives urging residents to prepare for further raids. Recommendations include building reinforced bunkers and tunnels, establishing neighbourhood warning codes, and using walkie‑talkies to spread alerts.

Volunteers are advising families to avoid staying inside buildings when aircraft are overhead, instead seeking cover in pre‑dug shelters or natural terrain such as ditches and valleys.

The strikes underscore the junta’s growing reliance on air power against civilian populations, raising fears of more casualties as offensives continue across Sagaing Region.

-2026-01-09