Myanmar’s military junta (the State Administration Council) has intensified its aerial campaign in northern Shan State, launching a series of airstrikes on Hsipaw and Mongkut (Mogok) towns that have killed civilians, injured dozens, and left widespread destruction in their wake, according to local sources and humanitarian groups.

At around 6 p.m. on July 14, Myanmar military jets dropped two bombs on central Hsipaw, a town under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The strikes hit Taung Myo Ward, with one bomb landing in front of Emmanuel Church and another in the courtyard of the Tai House Resort.

The blasts killed two civilians instantly and severely damaged several businesses and homes along the Mandalay–Lashio Union Road. Among the buildings hit were a mobile phone shop, Nang Dewi Restaurant, Tai House Hotel, and a nearby barber shop.

“The bomb hit near the restaurant across from Emmanuel Church. One person was killed and another seriously injured at the barber shop. The second bomb fell inside the resort courtyard,” a Hsipaw resident told SHAN.

This is the second airstrike on Hsipaw this month. On July 4, the junta targeted the town’s public hospital and development center, dropping two 250-pound bombs. According to the TNLA’s Information and Public Relations Department, the surgical unit of the hospital was destroyed, along with five government offices and at least eight homes.

A day before the latest Hsipaw attack, on July 13 at around 10:30 p.m., a 500-pound bomb was dropped near a monastery in Panmahteik Village, Monkut Township. The explosion injured six civilians, including a woman and two children, and damaged roughly 10 homes.

“There was heavy destruction in Panmahteik. The injured children are still in hospital. This is the third bombing we’ve experienced this month,” a Mongkut resident said.

The violence in Mongkut has escalated rapidly. On July 9, two children were killed and eight others injured when two 250-pound bombs struck Panmahteik again. One day earlier, on July 8, an airstrike near a private high school in Gaungubar, west of Mongkut, killed at least three civilians.

In total, at least five civilians, including two children, have been killed and over 20 wounded in Mongkut over the past two weeks. More than 30 homes have been destroyed, according to local aid workers.

Meanwhile, tensions are mounting across the region. The junta’s ground troops, advancing from the Taung Hkam area, have reportedly reached the outskirts of Nawnghkio (Naung Cho) and may soon launch a ground assault near the strategic Gote Hteik viaduct.

Observers believe the surge in airstrikes may be aimed at pressuring the TNLA ahead of a proposed new round of peace talks, scheduled for August. The military has suggested hosting the negotiations in Nawnghkio, a TNLA stronghold, even as it continues bombing operations in surrounding towns including Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Mong Mit (Moemaik), and Mongkut.

Between June 24 and July 12, the military launched at least six airstrikes on Kyaukme and two on Hsipaw. Local humanitarian groups report that these attacks have killed at least 10 civilians and injured over 30.

With airstrikes now occurring almost daily in northern Shan State, thousands of civilians are fleeing their homes. Aid workers warn that the growing number of displaced people is worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.