Myanmar Air Strike Kills 14 at Monastery as Civil War Aerial Attacks Intensify
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 21
Myanmar Air Strike Kills 14 at Monastery as Civil War Aerial Attacks Intensify
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 21
Summary
Fourteen people were killed and 20 injured when a Myanmar military jet bombed a Buddhist monastery compound in Swel Le Oh village, about 75 km west of Mandalay.
Two bombs hit 15 minutes apart during a weeklong Buddhist Lent retreat, with more than 100 people staying in and around the monastery, according to an opposition group and a local resident.
The military did not immediately comment on the strike, but has previously said it attacks only legitimate targets and seeks to avoid civilian harm.
Sagaing region, where Myaung township is a resistance stronghold, has been a major battleground in the civil war that followed the army's 2021 coup.
UN investigators said aerial attacks escalated before Myanmar's recent elections and have continued unabated; the wider war has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced 5.2 million.