UN and the US urge Myanmar to stop air strikes against Kachin state
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New York - Myanmar should halt any action against targets in Kachin state, where fighting between government and rebel forces has caused a humanitarian crisis, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.
Ban said he had taken note of recent news reports of airstrikes launched at Kachin and was closely following emerging details.
He called for "Myanmar authorities to desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians living in the area or further intensify the conflict" in the region.
"The on-going hostilities have already caused large-scale displacement of civilians, who continue to be in need of humanitarian assistance," Ban said. "It is vital that timely access be providedfor the delivery of aid to vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile the United States said Wednesday it was "deeply troubled" by Myanmar army air strikes against northern ethnic rebels in the country's Kachin state.
Fighting between the country's military and the armed wing of the KIO -- the Kachin Independence Organization -- has worsened in recent days as the army battled to regain one of its bases.
"We note that the government did today admit that they have been using aerial weapons in Kachin State," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "We're obviously deeply troubled by the increased violence."
