Myanmar Military Airstrike on Buddhist Monastery Kills 14

Myanmar Military Airstrike on Buddhist Monastery Kills 14

At least 14 people were killed when a military airstrike struck a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar’s central Sagaing region, according to an opposition group and local witnesses.

Friday’s attack, carried out by the military regime that seized power in a 2021 coup, marks the latest deadly assault on pro‑democracy forces in the country’s ongoing civil war.

What do we know about the airstrike on the monastery in Myanmar?

The strike occurred in Swel Le Oh village, Myaung township, central Myanmar, according to Nway Oo, a spokesman for the anti‑government resistance group.

The village lies about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second‑largest city.

Nway Oo of the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township (CDSOM) reported that the fatalities included three women and that 20 others were wounded.

The Associated Press spoke with a villager who confirmed the casualty count and said a military jet dropped two bombs 15 minutes apart.

The villager added that the second bomb damaged a nearby house.

Victims were civilians attending a retreat

More than 100 participants were attending a week‑long meditation retreat to observe Buddhist Lent, the villager said.

AFP quoted pro‑democracy rebel Nway Oo Myaung as saying, “This was not a mistaken target; they deliberately attacked the monastery.”

The military government has not yet confirmed the strike.

Myanmar’s military frequently employs airstrikes to target opposition forces, particularly in the Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance.

UN flags sharp rise in airstrikes

A United Nations investigation team reported last week that it had observed a marked increase in aerial attacks over much of the past year.

The UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) accused the military‑backed government of carrying out “indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians.”

Last month, the conflict‑monitoring group ACLED accused the regime of adopting a terror strategy that targets civilian infrastructure and social gatherings—such as weddings and religious festivals—to maximize psychological impact.

Myanmar government defends strikes

On Sunday, Myanmar’s foreign ministry rejected the IIMM report, insisting its operations were a response to insurgents and terrorist groups.

The ministry said it exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.

Myanmar’s army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was detained, sentenced to lengthy prison terms on charges widely viewed as politically motivated, and later placed under house arrest in May.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s son on the latest images of his mother

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

After a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, many opponents of military rule armed themselves and plunged large parts of the country into conflict.

More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed on all sides over the past five years, according to ACLED.

Myanmar held elections this year, which were widely condemned as a sham.

The polls culminated with General Min Aung Hlaing, the former junta chief, being appointed president, as the military regime sought to portray itself as a civilian government.

Edited by: Karl Sexton

Source link