Airstrikes Hit Kanni Village in Kawkareik Township; Mosque Damaged and Homes Destroyed as IDPs Remain in Fear

April 22, 2025

On April 22, 2025, the military junta’s air force carried out another airstrike on Kanni village, located in Kyon Doe Town, Kawkareik Township, Karen State. The attack resulted in the destruction of several homes and a mosque. Although no civilian casualties were reported in today’s bombing, local residents believe that the junta is deliberately targeting civilian areas to intimidate villagers and prevent them from returning to their homes—especially those who have already fled recent attacks.

“Around noon, two bombs landed directly on the roof of the village mosque. The roof was completely blown off. Another bomb struck a nearby motorcycle repair shop on the mosque’s western side, destroying it entirely. Luckily, no one was injured because most villagers are still too afraid to return home,” said a 30-year-old resident of Kanni Village.

Local sources also confirmed that the junta’s fighter jets dropped 500-pound bombs near Laungkai village road and the lower area of Kohphaung village in the Taung Kyarinn village tract of Kyon Doe Township.

Just the day before, on April 21 around 2:30 PM, two junta fighter jets dropped a pair of 500-pound bombs on public land and areas where displaced people were sheltering in the Taung Kyarinn village tract of Kawkareik Township. Fortunately, the villagers were hiding in bomb shelters at the time, and there were no casualties.

“The explosions were intense. One bomb landed in a rubber plantation behind a newly built row of shops near Laungkai village road, close to Thamein Dot village. No one was hurt, but the row of shops was destroyed. If people had already returned to live there, it would’ve been a different story. The second bomb fell in the lower part of Kohphaung village, but we haven’t confirmed any damage there yet,” said a local from Thamein Dot village.

According to a resistance source based in Kawkareik, junta airstrikes on April 21 alone involved around 20 separate aerial attacks with approximately 50 bombs dropped throughout the day.

Emergency response teams and frontline rescue workers have confirmed that these continuous airstrikes have pushed the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kawkareik Township to between 7,000 and 8,000 people. Most remain unable to return to their homes, and many are now facing growing challenges in accessing food and basic supplies.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News