The military junta has intensified airstrikes on multiple towns controlled by the Ta’ang (Palaung) National Liberation Army (TNLA), leaving a trail of civilian casualties and destruction.

Over the past three weeks, at least 41 civilians have been killed — including eight children, 19 women, and two monks — according to a TNLA statement. Nearly 50 others, among them 28 women and children, have been injured.

On October 19 alone, the junta’s aircraft targeted four TNLA-held towns — Mongkut (Mogok), Namhsan, Mantong, and Mong Ngaw — dropping 250-pound bombs in simultaneous attacks.

In Mongkut, one bomb struck a chicken farm in Yae Aye village, Kyauk Hpar tract, causing property damage but no reported casualties.

A local woman told SHAN, “We have to live very cautiously. With air bombings, we never know where they will strike, so we can’t flee safely. All the roads toward Mongkut and Mongmit are blocked.”

In Namhsan town, another bomb exploded near the local fire station in Namawaw ward, injuring two civilians and damaging homes, a tea factory, and several fire trucks. In Mantong, one bomb fell on Aung Chan Thar ward, destroying six houses. Meanwhile, in Loi Pein village near Mong Ngaw, two 250-pound bombs leveled a monastery and a rest house.

The TNLA Information Department identified the injured civilians in Namhsan as Ko Aung Aung (28) and Ko Chit San Maung (24).

A resident of Mongkut described the constant fear caused by air raids: “At night, the aircraft fly very low, making a loud noise. Drones appear often, and we can’t sleep well. Even if we want to flee, we can’t afford the travel, food, or accommodation costs.”

Just one day earlier, on October 18, airstrikes on Kwan Hal village in Namhsan Township killed six people — including five women — and injured at least seven others. Twenty-two homes were destroyed. In another attack, a 500-pound bomb dropped on 11 Mile village along the Kyaukme–Mong Ngaw road killed two monks.

Since the junta regained control of Kyaukme and Hsipaw towns earlier in October, it has launched more than 30 airstrikes across TNLA-controlled territories, including Namhsan, Mantong, Namtu, Mong Ngaw, Mong Lon, Mongkut, and Mongmit. The attacks have destroyed 138 homes, three schools, and three monasteries.

Major General Tar Phone Kyaw, Secretary-General of the TNLA, issued a statement on social media, warning that the group is carefully documenting those responsible for targeting civilians. “Those who bomb civilians, those who order the bombings, and those who celebrate them — your turn will come,” he wrote.

The ongoing airstrikes underscore the worsening humanitarian crisis in northern Shan State. Civilians, already living under the constant threat of conflict, now face not only the risk of death and injury but also the loss of their homes, livelihoods, and access to basic services.