Myanmar Airstrike on Mogok Kills 21 Civilians, Including Pregnan

[geovalin]

 

Mizzima

 

At least 21 civilians, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a military airstrike on Mogok, Myanmar’s famed gem-mining town, late Thursday evening. The attack, which targeted a residential area near a Buddhist monastery, marks one of the deadliest assaults in the country’s ongoing civil conflict.

 

The strike occurred at 8:30 p.m. in Shwegu ward, Mogok township, roughly 115 kilometres northeast of Mandalay. According to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which currently controls the area, the bombing damaged 15 homes and monastery buildings. Independent media and local residents suggest the death toll may be closer to 30, as one of the destroyed homes was hosting visitors at the time.

 

Mogok, known for its ruby mines, was seized by the TNLA in July 2024 during a sweeping offensive by ethnic militias. The military has intensified airstrikes in recent months in an attempt to reclaim territory ahead of elections scheduled for later this year—an effort widely criticised as undemocratic due to the suppression of media and detention of opposition leaders.

 

The junta has not commented on the Mogok strike, though it routinely claims to target only “legitimate threats.” Resistance groups, including the TNLA and the pro-democracy People’s Defence Force, remain defenceless against aerial attacks.

 

This latest strike follows a series of deadly bombings in TNLA-controlled areas, including one earlier this month that killed 16 truck drivers near Sagaing. Analysts estimate the military now controls less than half of Myanmar, with opposition forces holding significant ground.

 

As the conflict deepens, civilian casualties continue to mount, underscoring the human cost of Myanmar’s fractured political landscape.

 

-2025-08-18