Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 40 Civilians, Including Monks

(Photo: Palaung State Liberation Front)

Myanmar’s military has killed at least 40 civilians, including Buddhist monks and children, in a series of airstrikes in the country’s north, insurgents reported on Monday. The strikes are part of the junta’s escalating efforts to crush resistance as civil conflict rages on.

The attack targeted the Sein Yadanar monastery in Nawnghkio, Shan State, on Sunday, killing 13 people, including six monks—four of them young novices. Seventeen others were wounded, 13 of them monks, according to Lway Yay Oo, spokesperson for the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). She accused the military of deliberately attacking civilians and religious sites.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. With resistance forces growing, the military has increasingly relied on airpower to weaken insurgent strongholds. Rights groups say these airstrikes frequently target civilian areas, aiming to erode support for rebel forces.

The TNLA claims the junta is trying to pressure them into peace talks being brokered by China, which has strong economic ties to Myanmar. However, the group did not comment on whether negotiations would be considered.

Meanwhile, Myanmar faces a deepening humanitarian crisis, with 3.5 million people displaced and food aid agencies struggling with funding shortages. The junta, which rarely comments on battlefield developments, has not responded to inquiries about the latest attack.

As the military prepares for an election by January, which it hopes will strengthen its grip on power, its brutal campaign against civilians risks further international condemnation.

18-03-25