“Crashing Down on Us” I. War Crimes Since the attempted coup of February 1, 2021, the Myanmar military junta has conducted a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population of Myanmar. This chapter documents evidence related to the junta’s airstrikes on civilians and other protected persons, as well as civilian objects and infrastructure, in Kachin and Karenni states from October 2023 to November 2024. Airstrike on a Church Sheltering Internally Displaced Persons in Junta-controlled Konlaw Village, Momauk Township, Kachin State November 15, 2024, 3:30 p.m. On November 15, 2024, at 3:30 p.m., the junta’s air force carried out an airstrike on a Kachin Baptist church in Konlaw village, Momauk Township, Kachin State. There had been no armed clashes between the junta and resistance forces in the vicinity of the village ahead of the airstrike. At the time of the airstrike, the military junta controlled the town and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was not present in the village, according to residents interviewed by Fortify Rights and a journalist who visited the scene. More than 70 displaced people sought refuge in the church, which is a fact the junta would have known, given its long-standing control of the town. The junta’s deadly strike on the church that day killed nine civilians, including an entire family of six. Seven of the victims were children.22 “Seng Mai,” 41, whose cousin sister, brother-in-law, two nieces, and two nephews were killed in the attack, told Fortify Rights: I saw a combat airplane … around 3:30 p.m. … I was in the village at the time. [My relatives] were displaced from Momauk, so they sought refuge in the church. … In the three-story building [a temporary displaced persons shelter inside the church compound], the children [were killed] on the lower level while my sister was [killed] outside, in close proximity to the entrance. The bomb blew up precisely at the entryway of the building.23 “Esther,” a 38-year-old resident of Konlaw village, recounted the event of November 15, 2024, to Fortify Rights: 22 Fortify Rights interview with B.B., Laiza, Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, Myanmar, November 15, 2024; Fortify Rights interview with C.I. and A.C., Momauk Township, Kachin State, Myanmar, November 16, 2024; Fortify Rights interview with C.Z., Laiza, Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, Myanmar, November 18, 2024. 23 Fortify Rights interview November 16, 2024. with A.C., Momauk Township, Kachin State, Myanmar,