A Myanmar military airstrike struck a residential neighborhood in Kyaukme, northern Shan State, on June 29, injuring at least five civilians, including three women, and destroying more than a dozen homes. The attack marks the third such bombing in the region within a week, underscoring a dangerous intensification of the country’s ongoing conflict.

The airstrike, conducted around 2:30 p.m., hit near the Kan Baw Za Shan monastery in Ward 1, an area under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). Eyewitnesses reported that two bombs dropped from a military jet devastated a densely populated area, leveling or severely damaging at least 15 homes.

“The intended target may have been an office near the monastery, but the explosions ripped through civilian homes and businesses,” a local resident told SHAN. “A phone shop, a pharmacy, and even parts of the monastery compound were destroyed. Five people were injured.”

The TNLA’s press office confirmed that two 250-pound bombs were used in the attack, leaving six wounded, two women and four men, and ten homes destroyed or heavily damaged.

This latest strike follows two earlier bombings in Kyaukme on June 24 and 26, which reportedly killed five civilians, injured 16 others, including two children, and damaged over 50 homes and two schools. The repeated attacks suggest a deliberate escalation by Myanmar’s military amid ongoing clashes with ethnic armed groups.

The surge in airstrikes coincides with a government-hosted peace forum in Nay Pyi Taw, drawing criticism from observers who accuse the junta of hypocrisy in its claims of pursuing national reconciliation. Military operations have also intensified in other TNLA-controlled territories, including Mogok and Nawnghkio (Naung Cho) , displacing thousands.

In Nawnghkio township, where fighting between the military and TNLA has escalated, more than 2,000 displaced civilians have fled to Kyaukme and Nawng Ping village. Local sources report that internally displaced persons (IDPs) face severe shortages of food, shelter, and medical supplies, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation.

As violence spreads, concerns grow over the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire, with rights groups calling for immediate international attention to prevent further casualties.