November 18, 2024
A drone strike by junta forces on a passenger vehicle traveling along the Shwebo-Myitkyina highway in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, resulted in the deaths of a monk and three civilians, while ten others sustained injuries, according to a representative from the Kyunhla-Kanbalu Activist Group.
The attack occurred today, November 18, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:20 a.m., near Zee Kone Sugar Mill. The junta reportedly used a drone to drop five 81mm bombs on a stationary vehicle. The vehicle, operated by Nway Toe Mann Transport, was carrying passengers who had temporarily stopped to rest. The strike claimed the lives of a monk, two men, and a woman, while ten other passengers were injured. Authorities are still identifying the victims and gathering details about their injuries. “There was no ongoing clash. The passengers were just resting by the roadside when the junta’s drone bombed them. Four people have died, including a monk, and ten others are injured,” said the spokesperson from the activist group. Kanbalu and Kyunhla Townships have faced intensified attacks throughout November, with junta forces and Pyu Saw Htee militia targeting civilian homes with arson, conducting drone bombings on villages, and forcibly conscripting residents into militia training. Over 130 civilians abducted by the military remain in detention, with no updates on their release.