Military Airstrike on Buddhist Monastery in Myanmar Kills 14

At least 14 people, including three women, were killed and 20 others injured in an airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a Buddhist monastery in the country’s central region.

The attack took place in the village of Sone Le Oo in Myaung Township, about 75 kilometers west of Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay. Al Jazeera reported the incident on Friday, citing an opposition group and a local resident.

Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Myaung Township Civilian Defense and Security Organization, said a military aircraft dropped bombs on the grounds of the Buddhist monastery, killing 14 people and injuring at least 20 others.

A local resident, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said a weeklong religious event was underway at the monastery as part of the Buddhist rainy-season retreat. More than 100 people were staying inside and around the monastery at the time. The resident said the military aircraft dropped two bombs about 15 minutes apart.

The resident said his mother-in-law was among those killed. He also confirmed the death toll of 14 provided by the local civilian defense organization. BBC Burmese and several local media outlets reported that between 10 and 14 people were killed in the attack.

Myanmar’s military did not immediately comment on the reported airstrike. The military has previously claimed that its forces target only legitimate and specific military targets.

Myanmar has been engulfed in civil war since the military seized power from the elected government in February 2021. After the military violently suppressed peaceful protests, many members of political and ethnic groups joined armed resistance movements.

Various ethnic and political armed groups are now fighting against the military government, with some of the ethnic organizations having operated for decades.

Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has also remained in detention since the military coup. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate previously served as Myanmar’s State Counsellor, a position roughly equivalent to prime minister.

Myaung Township is located in the Sagaing Region, one of the main strongholds of armed resistance against Myanmar’s military government.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, established by the United Nations, reported in August that airstrikes in the country had increased significantly. The attacks reportedly intensified ahead of elections held in December and January and have continued since then.

Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the UN-related findings, saying security forces target only terrorists and exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian casualties.

Source: Al Jazeera