Myanmar junta fighter jets dropped five bombs on a rural clinic in Saungpwe Village in southern Shan State’s Pekon Township, injuring three civilians undergoing treatment on 25 April.

One of the injured is in a critical condition and the attack destroyed two buildings, medical equipment, a motorbike, and cars, according to The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).

Saungpwe Village is not in a conflict zone and internally displaced people (IDPs) were sheltering there.

A Saungpwe villager said: “They bombed five times around 12:30 pm. Some pregnant women were about to give birth at the time. Other local and IDP patients were at the clinic. Whilst we were trying to rescue the patients at the clinic, the bombs dropped near us. After waiting for a while, we went to the clinic and saw that people at the clinic were injured. One mother was injured and her newborn baby was just a few days old. Fortunately, the baby was safe.”

Junta troops target IDPs, clinics, public hospitals and schools if they suffer battle losses, according to Ko Lin Lin, an information officer of the Karenni Revolution Union (KRU).

“The clinic is located outside the battle zone. It is a local clinic that provides medical treatments to the displaced persons from the conflict-affected areas,” he added.

I know that one doctor was injured. Some children and people receiving medical treatment were also wounded, we don’t yet have accurate numbers [for the injured]. There were about three newborn babies in the hospital before the air attack”, said a person helping the IDPs.