A 9-year-old boy and an elderly man over 90 years old were injured when the Military Council fired artillery randomly into Kawk Nwe village in Kawkareik township at around 10:00 AM on December 19th, locals said.

“Min Aung Hlaing (Junta Chief)’s troops have never cared about the public. They just do whatever they want and shoot at random.This time their shelling hit my father and his grandson. My father is over 90 years old.The few people left in the village, are now hiding in bomb shelters dug below their houses”, the relative told KIC.

Civilians were injured when the Military Council fired artillery indiscriminately after a clash with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in Kyauk Sayit Kone area of Kawk New village.A person who brought the victims to the hospital commented that the injuries of both were in serious condition. Elderly was hit by shrapnel on the left side of his chest, and the child was injured on the right side of his face.

After the 230-231st Infantry Division near the 12th Command Headquarters was attacked on December 16th, the Military Council pounded the villages around Kawkareik township using artillery and warplanes. Also, a man was wounded by artillery fire in Yay Le Kyun village in Kawkareik on the night of December 18th.

A resident of Kawkareik said, "The Military Council’s shelling has become a regular occurrence. We saw them arrive from Kawkareik to Kawk New. Then we started to hear small arms and artillery fire. It looks like the they have suffered some casualties. saw two military vehicles driving and it is believed that they went to pick up the bodies”.