Airstrike by Myanmar’s military kills three women in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military killed three women and severely injured two others in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township on Monday, according to local resistance sources. The incident occurred in Kansint, a village located about seven miles from the town of Myingyan, a member of the Myingyan District People’s Defence Force (PDF) Battalion 7 told Myanmar Now on Tuesday. “They dropped bombs at around 12:30 yesterday. Currently, there are three dead and two with severe injuries. We learned that two died during the airstrike and one died later,” the PDF member said. The military has been increasing its strikes in Myingyan District since anti-regime forces based in the area southwest of the city of Mandalay began carrying out attacks there last week. The district, which comprises Myingyan, Natogyi, and Taungtha townships, has been the scene of serious fighting since last August, when anti-junta groups launched a major offensive, the Myingyan District Special Operation. While the situation has been relatively calm in recent months, the resumption of clashes on May 14 has triggered a campaign of airstrikes by the regime targeting several villages in Myingyan Township, including Kansint, Pattar, and Pyar, sources said. According to an official from the Myingyan Township People’s Defence Organisation (PDO), the junta has also deployed ground troops, including members of the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia, to carry out raids on the targeted villages. “People know [the regime] will launch airstrikes on civilians, so they understand the danger and have to flee to the forests. And the army is not just sending in regular troops, but also bringing in Pyu reinforcements, who steal property and kill people, so people are afraid to stay,” the PDO officer said. The KBZ Bank branch in Natogyi damaged during fighting in August 2024 (Photo: Natogyi News) As part of its “four-cuts” strategy, aimed at cutting off support for the resistance forces, the junta has also blockaded many villages, requiring residents to seek permission when they want to leave the villages to purchase basic necessities. “Villagers have to submit lists of what they want to buy when they go through the checkpoints—how much cooking oil they want to buy, how much rice, and so on. But even when they get approval, their purchases can still be confiscated when they pass through other checkpoints,” the PDO officer explained. There are several junta units stationed in Myingyan, the main town in the district, including troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 15, LIB 99, and LIB 33. Military checkpoints have been set up around the perimeter of the town, according to residents. On May 14, anti-junta forces attacked the police station in Simeekhon, a town in western Myingyan Township, and junta army camps in Ngazun, the main town in Ngazun Township, in Mandalay Region’s Tada-U District. This was followed by an assault on a police station in Wetlu, a village in Natogyi Township. In response, the military began carrying out airstrikes targeting not only resistance forces, but also civilians. On May 6, the junta air force bombed Manlel, a village located in the southwestern part of Natogyi Township, killing two men and severely injuring four others. Resistance forces have also suffered casualties due to the intense fighting, although no exact figures have been released. The junta has not commented on the fighting in Myingyan District, but pro-regime Telegram channels have called for more ground reinforcements and air combat support in the area to repel resistance forces’ attacks.

Airstrike by Myanmar’s military kills three women in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township

The junta’s aerial assaults have intensified since resistance forces resumed their offensive in the area last week

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