A military air strike reportedly killed 14 people, including three women, and injured 20 others at a Buddhist monastery in Swel Le Oh village in central Myanmar, according to the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township and a local resident.
The attack struck a compound where more than 100 people were staying for a weeklong Buddhist Lent retreat. The military had not immediately commented on the reported strike.
What was reported at the monastery
The attack occurred in Myaung township, about 75 kilometres west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, CDSOM spokesperson Nway Oo said on Friday. Nway Oo said a fighter jet bombed the village monastery’s compound.
A local villager, speaking anonymously, told the Associated Press that the aircraft dropped two bombs about 15 minutes apart. The villager said his mother-in-law was among those killed. BBC’s Burmese Service and local media outlets reported death tolls ranging from 10 to 14.
Why the location matters
Myaung township is in Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance against Myanmar’s military government. The country has been embroiled in a near nationwide civil war since the army seized power from the elected government in February 2021 and violently suppressed protests.
The fighting involves a diverse array of ethnic and political armed groups, including organisations that have existed for decades. The military has previously said it attacks only legitimate targets, while its position on this strike was not immediately available.
The wider civilian toll
The Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations estimates that Myanmar’s war has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced 5.2 million. It estimates that resistance forces and ethnic armies control about 42 percent of the country, compared with 21 percent for the military government.
The United Nations-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said in August that aerial attacks had notably escalated before elections held in December and January and continued afterwards. Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected that report, saying security forces target “terrorists” and exercise maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.
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