Junta airstrike kills three children at futsal field in Mogok

Three people were killed when a Myanmar junta fighter jet targeted a futsal field in eastern Mogok, Mandalay Region, on Tuesday, local sources said. In that attack, three children were killed, including a four-year-old, and 12 other people were injured. The futsal field and seven houses were destroyed, a local man who participated in rescue operations told Myanmar Now."The children were hit while they were playing football," the man said. Locals told reporters that the three children who were killed have been identified as 10-year-old Khushi, 12-year-old Mon Bu, and six-year-old Sitha, all residents of Kantaw ward in Mogok Town. One child was killed instantly in the blasts from a devastating head injury, while two others perished from shrapnel wounds, the local man added. The injured children, aged between seven and 12 years old, were also identified as Hla Thandar Aye, Ni Gaung, Nyi Thit, and Hein Min Thant.Three hours after that attack, at around 6pm, the junta proceeded to bomb the village of Zayat Kwin, located in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region. The attack left five people killed, including a one-year-old child, and at least eight others injured. Shortly after the airstrikes from warplanes, locals told Myanmar Now that drone bombings had also occurred near a bridge in the center of Zayat Kwin village. The junta targeted the area as it is a tactically important junction on the Singu-Thabeikkyin-Mogok road section recently recaptured by junta forces. The junta frequently conducts airstrikes on Mogok Town, known for producing rubies and other gemstones. Thabeikkyin Township is also known for its gold mines. In August, the junta dropped multiple bombs onto a monastery where displaced people were sheltering. The airstrike killed at least 20 people. The town of Mogok was captured by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and allied resistance forces in June 2024, and the junta is now conducting counter-offensives.Thabeikkyin, captured by National Unity Government (NUG) on August 25, 2024 was held for nearly a year. But it was retaken by the Myanmar military in July. Since then, the military has intensified airstrikes across Mandalay Region—including Madaya, Singu, Thabeikkyin, and Mogok—and nearby villages in Sagaing, with attacks growing more frequent in recent months. Sources say junta forces are currently ratcheting up their efforts to retake Mogok Town and are conducting operations from at least two separate routes into the town.

Junta airstrike kills three children at futsal field in Mogok

The children, aged four to 12, were playing football when the airstrike hit

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