Myanmar military airstrike on Buddhist monastery kills 14 during meditation retreat
Myanmar’s military carried out an airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in the central Sagaing region on Friday, killing 14 people who were attending a week-long meditation retreat, according to an opposition group and a local resident. The incident has added to growing concerns over civilian casualties linked to air operations in the conflict-hit country. The strike took place at around 9 am (local time) in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, located nearly 75 kilometres west of Mandalay — Myanmar’s second-largest city. The information was shared by Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence and Security Organisation of Myaung Township, known as CDSOM, reported The Associated Press (AP).
According to Nway Oo, a jet fighter dropped a bomb inside the compound of the village monastery while people were taking part in the retreat. The attack killed 14 people, including three women, while another 20 people sustained injuries. The monastery was hosting a week-long mediation retreat when the airstrike occurred, turning a gathering into the scene of a deadly attack. Details about the identities of those killed and the condition of the injured were not immediately available.
Airstrikes remain a major threat to civilians
The attack comes amid continued fighting in Myanmar, where the military has frequently used air power against armed pro-democracy groups and ethnic armed organisations. Such military operations have repeatedly resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, according to opposition groups and residents. Sagaing has remained one of the areas affected by fighting between Myanmar’s military and forces opposed to military rule.
Conflict continues to take civilian toll
Myanmar has been gripped by armed conflict involving the military, pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups. Air operations have become a recurring feature of the fighting, with opposition groups frequently reporting casualties among civilians. Friday’s strike is the latest reported incident in which an aerial attack has caused deaths and injuries at a civilian location. The reported targeting of a monastery being used for a mediation retreat has further intensified concerns over the impact of military operations on people not directly involved in the fighting.
(With inputs from AP)
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