A series of deadly airstrikes by the Myanmar military council has killed four civilians and injured at least 14 others in Kyaukme town and nearby areas, intensifying fear among residents already displaced by ongoing conflict in northern Shan State.

On the evening of June 25, two airstrikes struck a crowded area near Hlaing Hospital in Ward 3 of Kyaukme. One bomb hit a busy restaurant located in front of the Kyaukme police station, killing four people, three members of a local family and a man originally from Nawnghkio (Naung Cho). Fourteen others were wounded in the blast.

“There were many people around when the restaurant was hit. Two women in their 50s and a young man from the family died instantly, along with a displaced person from Nawnghkio,” a local resident told SHAN. “People here are terrified.”

A local youth said the military appeared to be targeting civilian areas, including hospitals, raising fears that such sites are being deliberately attacked.

“There’s no peace here. They’re bombing near hospitals, it feels like they want to destroy them. But people have nowhere to go. Many are trapped,” he said.

Kyaukme is currently under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and has become a haven for over 700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing clashes in neighboring Nawnghkio Township.

The June 25 strikes came just one day after intense fighting erupted in the Shwe Thun area of Nawnghkio between the military council and a joint force led by the TNLA and the Danu People’s Liberation Army (DPLA). According to a DPLA official, the military deployed three jet fighters and three Y-12 aircraft to carry out relentless bombing runs throughout the day, dropping over 80 bombs, including 500- and 300-pound munitions.

“From morning to night, Shwe Thun was bombed nonstop. This was one of the most intense aerial assaults we’ve experienced,” the official said.

Air attacks in TNLA-controlled territories have surged since the breakdown of peace talks in Kunming, China, in early May. In recent weeks, military jets have repeatedly targeted areas including Mantong, Mong Ngaw, Mogok, and other parts of northern Shan.

Just days before the Kyaukme incident, more than 50 bombs were dropped on Than Bo village on June 21, followed by another airstrike on Thayetkone village the next day.

As hostilities escalate and civilian areas come under increasing threat, humanitarian needs are rapidly growing across northern Shan State. Local communities and rights groups continue to urge international attention and intervention to protect non-combatants caught in the crossfire.