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Myanmar military airstrike kills 14 at Buddhist monastery
🇴🇲 Oman /Conflict & Security

Myanmar military airstrike kills 14 at Buddhist monastery

From Times of Oman · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • At least 14 people were killed in a military airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar's Sagaing region.
  • The attack occurred during a weeklong meditation retreat, with victims including civilians.
  • The military government has not confirmed the strike, while the UN notes a rise in aerial attacks and accuses the military of indiscriminate strikes.

A military airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar's central Sagaing region killed at least 14 people, according to an opposition group and local witnesses. The attack, which occurred on Friday, targeted Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, an area known as a stronghold of armed resistance against the ruling military regime that seized power in a 2021 coup.

Nway Oo, a spokesman for the Civil Defence and Security Organisation of Myaung Township (CDSOM), reported that the dead included three women and that 20 others were wounded. A villager who spoke to The Associated Press confirmed the death toll, adding that a military jet dropped two bombs approximately 15 minutes apart, with the second strike damaging a nearby house.

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

— Nway Oo MyaungA pro-democracy rebel stated that the monastery was deliberately targeted.

More than 100 people were participating in a weeklong meditation retreat to mark Buddhist Lent at the time of the attack. 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 officially confirmed the strike.

indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians.

— UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM)The UN body accused the military-backed government of specific types of attacks.

Myanmar's military frequently employs airstrikes against opposition forces, particularly in the Sagaing region. A United Nations investigation team recently observed a significant increase in aerial attacks over the past year. The UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has accused the military-backed government of conducting "indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians."

Conflict monitoring group ACLED noted last month that the regime has adopted a "terror strategy" targeting civilian infrastructure and social gatherings to maximize psychological impact. However, Myanmar's foreign ministry rejected the IIMM report on Sunday, asserting that military operations are in response to insurgents and terrorist groups and that maximum restraint is used to avoid civilian harm. The military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, detaining the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

a terror strategy

— ACLEDThe conflict monitoring group described the regime's approach to targeting civilian infrastructure and gatherings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Oman in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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