At least four people were wounded this week after clashes broke out between the Burma Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State’s Kutkai Township. 

Two men, believed to be 18 and 19 years old, were wounded on Thursday during fighting at the base of Loi Samsip hill at around 7:00 a.m. 

Win Win Myine, who is in charge of the Kutkai public hospital, said that they received treatment for minor injuries to their neck and head. 

On Wednesday, a monk and another local man were injured in fighting that occurred near Mong Yu and Homong villages. The monk is 45 years old, and the man is in his 30s, according to a volunteer with the Nam Hpetkar Mettashin social volunteer team. 

The volunteer added that the injuries involved gunshots to their thighs and that they were receiving treatment at the Muse hospital. 

“They travelled on the road because they didn’t know the road was shut down [due to fighting]. That’s why they were shot,” the individual told SHAN, referring to the national highway connecting Muse to Kutkai.

Meanwhile, artillery shells from the fighting near Loi Samsip also landed on the grounds of the Ta’ang Education Center (TEC), while children were in the school, which also has a boarding house. 

“A shell landed inside of the compound of the TEC school and another two shells landed outside of the school’s compound. Our children were not injured,” the chair of Kutkai’s Ta’ang Literature and Culture Association Mai Aik Moong told SHAN. 

He added that while the children were not hurt, they were still frightened by the close proximity of the fighting.  

The Burma Army and the TNLA have engaged in multiple clashes in Kutkai and Kyaukme townships in recent days.