Myanmar military airstrike kills 14 at Buddhist monastery in Sagaing
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A Myanmar military airstrike killed 14 people at a Buddhist monastery in Swel Le Oh village, Myaung township, Sagaing region, on Friday. More than 100 people were at the monastery for a Buddhist Lent retreat when a fighter jet dropped two bombs 15 minutes apart, injuring 20 others. The military has not commented on the strike, while the UN mechanism reported an escalation in aerial attacks preceding and following the December and January elections.
Key Facts
- The airstrike killed 14 people, including three women, and injured 20 more, according to Nway Oo, spokesperson for the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township.
- More than 100 people were staying in and around the monastery for a weeklong Buddhist Lent retreat when the attack occurred.
- A local villager told AP that a fighter jet dropped two bombs on the village 15 minutes apart, and his mother-in-law was among the dead.
- BBC Burmese Service and local media reported the death toll at between 10 and 14.
- The UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said in August that aerial attacks escalated before the December and January elections and continued unabated afterwards.
The Airstrike
A fighter jet bombed the monastery compound in Swel Le Oh village, Myaung township, about 75 kilometres west of Mandalay, killing 14 people and injuring 20. Nway Oo, spokesperson for the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township, said the dead included three women. A local villager who spoke anonymously to The Associated Press said the plane dropped two bombs on the village 15 minutes apart. The villager confirmed the death toll of 14 and said his mother-in-law was killed in the attack. BBC Burmese Service and local media outlets reported the death toll at between 10 and 14.
Military Response
The military did not immediately comment on the strike. Myanmar's military has previously said it only attacks legitimate targets. Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the UN mechanism's report, saying it only targets "terrorists" and that security forces exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.
Conflict Context
Myanmar has been embroiled in a near countrywide civil war since the army seized power from the elected government in February 2021. The war has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced 5.2 million, according to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations. Resistance forces and ethnic armies control an estimated 42 percent of the country, compared with the military government's 21 percent. Myaung township is in the Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance against the military government.
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Myanmar military airstrike kills 14 at Buddhist monastery in Sagaing
