Myanmar Airstrike Kills 14 at Buddhist Monastery: Reports

At least 14 people died when Myanmar's military bombed a Buddhist monastery in the central Sagaing region on Friday. The attack also wounded 20 others.

The ruling military regime, which seized power in a 2021 coup, struck Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township. The village is about 75 kilometers west of Mandalay. The dead included three women, according to Nway Oo, a spokesman for an anti-government resistance group. A local villager confirmed the death toll and said a military jet dropped two bombs 15 minutes apart, with the second damaging a nearby house.

More than 100 people were attending a weeklong meditation retreat to mark Buddhist Lent. A pro-democracy rebel cited by AFP news agency stated, "It wasn't a mistaken target; they intentionally attacked a monastery." The military government has not yet confirmed the strike.

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It wasn't a mistaken target; they intentionally attacked a monastery.

Sagaing region is a stronghold of armed resistance, and the military frequently uses airstrikes there. A United Nations investigation team recently noted a significant increase in aerial attacks over the past year. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar accused the military-backed government of "indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians." Last month, conflict monitoring group ACLED accused the regime of adopting a "terror strategy" targeting civilian infrastructure and social gatherings.

Myanmar's foreign ministry rejected the UN report on Sunday, asserting that its operations target insurgents and terrorist groups and that it uses maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm. The army took power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since a crackdown on protests, many opponents have armed themselves, leading to widespread conflict. More than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed on all sides.

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indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians.