Full story
Monastery strike in Sagaing
An airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a Buddhist monastery in central Sagaing killed 14 people and injured 20 more, according to Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence and Security Organization of Myaung Township, and a local resident.
“The attack occurred on Friday at 9 am in Swel Le Oh village”
The attack hit the monastery complex in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, about 75 kilometers west of Mandalay, as a fighter jet dropped a bomb during a week-long meditation retreat for Buddhist Lent.
The Associated Press-linked resident said the plane dropped two bombs on the village 15 minutes apart, and confirmed the death toll of 14, adding that his mother-in-law was among the victims.
BBC Burmese Service and local media reported between 10 and 14 fatalities, while the Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the strike.
The strike occurred on Friday at 9 am, as reported by The Tribune, and the BBC Burmese Service and local media also reported the death toll range of 10 to 14.
Opposition says exits
Nway Oo said 14 people, including three women, were killed and 20 others were wounded when a jet fighter dropped a bomb in the compound of the village’s monastery, according to multiple outlets citing the CDSOM spokesperson.
A villager who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the plane released two bombs 15 minutes apart, and said the second damaged a house near the monastery where more than 100 people were taking part in a one-week retreat during Buddhist Lent.
The BBC Burmese Service and local media outlets, including Myanmar Now, reported death tolls ranging from 10 to 14, and published photos and videos they said showed the attack’s aftermath, including images of bodies.
The Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the strike, but it had previously said it only targets legitimate targets.
In the context of Myanmar’s wider conflict since the army seized power in February 2021, the attack was described as part of a series of frequent and deadly aerial strikes targeting armed pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups.
War context and UN scrutiny
The monastery strike came amid Myanmar’s near countrywide civil war that began after the army seized power in February 2021, following the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations and the rise of armed resistance.
“a marked increase in airstrikes ahead of the elections held in December and January”
The United Nations-established Independent Investigation Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said in August that it observed a marked increase in airstrikes ahead of elections held in December and January, and that they continued unabated afterwards.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the IIMM report, saying it only targets “terrorists” and that security forces exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.
The Times of India said the air strike took place in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, about 75 kilometres west of Mandalay, and described the strike as the latest in a series of frequent and deadly airstrikes that often result in civilian casualties.
With more than 100 people staying in and around the monastery for the weeklong retreat, residents fled to a nearby community after cremating the victims’ bodies, according to the accounts cited by the Associated Press.