Since July, continuous airstrikes by the Myanmar junta’s air force in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, have destroyed and burned civilian homes, leaving many residents trapped or killed.

Fighting has escalated in recent days as junta forces clashed with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and allied troops around Nawng Ping (Naung Pain) village. Soldiers have entered homes, searched for men, and barred locals from returning to the town, according to a displaced resident who spoke to SHAN.

On August 18, a ground column of more than 700 junta troops advanced towards Htan Ta Pin village, just two miles from Nawng Ping, sparking intense clashes with TNLA forces. Since August 19, more than 3,000 civilians from 10 villages in the Nawng Ping village tract have fled to safer areas.

“We’ve been displaced since August 19. Some didn’t expect to run this far, but when it got this bad, they had no choice but to flee. Now, people from all the eastern villages of Kyaukme are displaced,” a Nawng Ping villager told SHAN.

Displaced families are now in urgent need of assistance. Many have little more than a few clothes, with some sleeping in cars or along roadsides, while others are relying on relatives and friends. “Because it happened suddenly, some only brought a couple of sets of clothes. For now, no one has come to help us,” another displaced man said.

The scale of attacks has intensified. On August 21, the junta dropped more than 30 bombs from a Y-12 aircraft on Nawng Ping village tract. A day earlier, a 500-pound bomb was dropped on a monastery where displaced people were sheltering, killing 10 civilians—including women and children—and injuring 12 others, according to local sources.

“When fighting breaks out, civilians often take shelter in monasteries. Knowing this, targeting such places is a war crime. We strongly condemn it. We will document these atrocities so the perpetrators can be held accountable in the future,” said an executive member of the Tai Students Union (TSU).

The ongoing conflict has also devastated infrastructure. On August 24, the world-famous Gote Hteik bridge, which connects Kyaukme and Nawnghkio townships, was mined and destroyed. The perpetrators remain unconfirmed, and SHAN is continuing its investigation.

This follows the destruction of another key bridge on the Gote Twin road between Kyaukme and Nawnghkio in mid-July. Locals report that junta troops are using these offensives to advance their columns deeper into Kyaukme Township.