Three internally displaced women were killed in Pai Khun (Pekon) Township, Southern Shan State, near the Karenni border, after junta troops and the Pa-O National Organization (PNO) militia fired heavy artillery into the area, according to initial investigations.

A local source told SHAN that the incident occurred on the morning of November 22, when junta and PNO forces launched artillery shells at a group of seven displaced civilians returning from their hillside farm near Baw Ran Village in western Pai Khun Township.

“Three of the seven displaced civilians were hit by the shelling and died. They were on their way to the farm when it happened. There were clashes that day as well. The military has been shelling almost every day without any reason,” the source said.

The three victims were all women—one approximately 60 years old and two between 20 and 30.

The source added that intense clashes between junta–PNO forces and the Karenni Revolutionary Alliance have been occurring almost daily around the Baw Ran area.

“Fighting has been happening for three or four consecutive days, almost every day. They are using drones heavily. The battles are intense. The junta side has suffered many casualties and deaths, and we have also sustained some injuries,” the military source said.

Residents reported that in the first and second weeks of October, joint columns of junta troops and the PNO militia entered Sa Lone (South), Sa Lone (North), and several nearby villages, burning and destroying homes during sweeping operations.