Junta airstrikes kill one, injure child in Myanmar’s Mandalay Region

The junta launched multiple airstrikes on two townships in Myanmar’s central Mandalay Region, killing one person and injuring two others, including a child, local sources said Friday.The strikes hit Myingyan and Natogyi townships Saturday evening, targeting civilian areas despite no active clashes.One resident of Tawpu Village in Myingyan Township, was killed, while in neighboring Natogyi Township, a 13-year-old child and a 65-year-old man from Let Wea Village were injured, according to local People's Defense Organization (PDO) and People's Administration Organization (PAO) sources.Details of the deceased remain undisclosed. The child suffered shrapnel wounds to the leg, while the 65-year-old man sustained injuries to his hip and hand.Sai Ja Lu, the head of Myingyan Township PDO, told Myanmar Now that the military rolled out airstrikes despite knowing that there were few resistance targets in the area. “There was no fighting that day,” Sai Ja Lu told Myanmar Now. “But the junta air force bombed Taw Pu village anyway.”Junta forces bombed Natogyi Township’s Let Wea Village twice using warplanes and helicopters. The attacks set several homes on fire, according to a local human rights official with the PDO.“I've heard they have started using incendiary bombs,” the official said, who requested anonymity. “When they drop them, fires break out immediately. About 15 houses were burned. Seven houses were destroyed by the bombing.”Let Wea has largely emptied of its population as residents continue to flee junta attacks. Yet those injured were among the few who chose to stay behind, according to local reports."The junta’s actions are quite clear. When they carry out attacks, they often target villages, schools, and monasteries,” the official said. “In those places, there are only civilians, not our military units. So they are clearly targeting civilians.”In response, pro-junta Telegram channels have claimed the junta targeted a resistance graduation ceremony.In Myanmar's Taungtha, Natogyi, and Myingyan townships, resistance groups frequently target junta positions, including checkpoints along the Yangon-Mandalay highway. While the junta controls urban centers, rural areas remain under resistance control.Unable to deploy ground troops, the regime has launched repeated airstrikes across the region, often using paramotors, helicopters, or warplanes.Residents say junta airstrikes and arson attacks have displaced many in Natogyi Township, leaving refugees struggling to meet basic needs. Sources say treating the injured has also become difficult due to medicine shortages and a lack of healthcare workers.

Junta airstrikes kill one, injure child in Myanmar’s Mandalay Region

“I've heard they have started using incendiary bombs. When they drop them, fires break out immediately”

Subscribe for full access

Explainer: Who are the companies and cronies backing Myanmar junta leader’s Thailand visit?

From palace stages to exile: A Myanmar dancer who chose conscience over ceremony

Her parents gone, a Myanmar student prays for the return of a father lost in conflict

Rakhine State floods put AA administration to its biggest test yet

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Myanmar junta awards major trade software contract to sanctioned Russian tech group

Junta chief makes trip to Russia

Myanmar junta airstrike kills eight family members in southern Rakhine State

Regime arrests 19 CSO members on suspicion of supporting education in resistance areas