An airstrike by the Myanmar military against a monastery, where civilians had gathered for a meditation retreat to mark the Buddhist fasting season, killed 14 people, according to two rebels who witnessed the events.
Myanmar has been plunged into civil war since the 2021 military coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and detained theNobel Peace Prize laureate.
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Over the past five years, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been killed on all sides, as the military battles a series of pro-democracy insurgents representing ethnic minorities.
Friday’s airstrike hit a monastery hall around 9:00 a.m. local time in the Myaung community of the central Shaanxi region, killing 11 men and three women, according to Nwei Oo Myaung, a pro-democracy activist who helped remove the bodies.
“Elderly people had been staying at the meditation center for three months” to observe the Buddhist fasting period, which roughly coincides with the rainy season in Myanmar, he said on Friday.
“Those killed were between 50 and 70 years old,” he added. “It wasn’t a case of mistaken identity; they deliberately attacked a monastery.”
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It was not possible to reach the Myanmar military for immediate comment; however, a second local opposition fighter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saturday that “five of the dead were from our village and the other nine were from other villages.” “While we were trying to rescue people, the aircraft returned to bomb us a second time,” he said.
The Myanmar military often uses Chinese- or Russian-made aircraft to keep rebels at bay, according to analysts.
UN investigators from the Independent Investigation Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) published a report last week accusing the military of “indiscriminate and deliberate airstrikes against civilians.”
Public buildings, typically monasteries and schools, are often targeted in these airstrikes.
The Government of Myanmar characterized the IIMM’s report as “unilateral accusations against Myanmar’s security forces, based on unverifiable and inaccurate information.”
The conflict monitoring group ACLED stated in a report last month that “the military’s ongoing strategy of terror targets civilian infrastructure and social gatherings, such as weddings and religious festivals, with the aim of maximizing the psychological impact.”
After five years of military rule, the Myanmar military organized elections in early 2026, presenting the process as a return to normalcy.
The IIMM report noted that “a significant escalation of airstrikes was observed in the months leading up to the elections.”
Organizations monitoring democratic processes characterized the elections as a farce intended to revamp the image of military rule, while at the same time the popular Su Kyi her party was sidelined, and dissidents were punished with imprisonment.
As a result, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing assumed the duties of civilian president in April, ceding the position of commander-in-chief of the armed forces to a key associate.
Min Aung Hlaing is currently leading a diplomatic campaign aimed at shaking off the “pariah” status that Myanmar has acquired since the coup and to secure diplomatic recognition abroad.
India, China, Laos, and Thailand have welcomed him to their capitals, a move that has drawn criticism from activists, who complain that they have granted him unwarranted legitimacy.
This week, Min Aung Hlaing visited Russia and Belarus, which have remained steadfast allies of Myanmar since the coup.
In recent months, the Myanmar military has scored successes on the battlefield, having neutralized some of the strongest armed groups through ceasefires backed by China.
SOURCE: KYPE
