Myanmar military airstrike kills 27, injures 30 in resistance stronghold

An airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s military on a village controlled by resistance forces has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, according to an opposition group and local online media reports on Saturday.

The attack took place on Friday at 3 p.m. in Let Pan Hla village, located in Singu township approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, as stated by a spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defense Force.

The military has not issued any comments regarding the incident. Myanmar has been in chaos since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, sparking widespread public opposition. After peaceful protests were met with deadly force, many opponents of military rule resorted to armed resistance, leading to ongoing conflict across much of the country.

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The military government has stepped up airstrikes against the armed pro-democracy People’s Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. The two groups sometimes carry out joint operations against the army. The resistance forces have no defense against air attacks.

The town of Singu was seized by the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF), which supports Myanmar’s main opposition, in July last year.

The group’s statement released Saturday on its Telegram social media channel said six children were among the 27 killed in the airstrike that targeted crowded market stalls in Let Pan Hla village.

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Osmond, the group’s spokesperson, told The Associated Press that about 10 houses near the village market were destroyed by bombs.

“This airstrike was not aimed at a military target, but rather at the market area, where civilians visit daily,” Osmond said in a message.

The situation in the village could not be independently confirmed, with access to the internet and cellphone service in the area mostly cut off.

The independent Myanmar Now online media reported that the death toll from the airstrike that hit a tea shop near the village market had reached 30 and seven were in critical condition.

A report issued last month by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, a Myanmar research and advocacy organization, said that since the military’s 2021 takeover, 2,224 civilian had been killed and 3,466 wounded in 4,157 airstrikes.

With inputs from agencies