Myanmar junta airstrike kills four in northern Magway Region

Four people were killed and many others injured as Myanmar’s military conducted airstrikes in two northern Magway Region townships on Thursday, according to local residents.The first attack took place at around 2am and targeted the village of Ahlelban in Htilin Township, located about 10 miles east of the town of Htilin. Two elderly people and two female students were killed in that assault, sources said. Further details about the victims were unavailable at the time of reporting.“There was no ground fighting at all. People were living peacefully. It happened when everyone was sound asleep, and no one expected an attack, so there were many casualties,” said a local man who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity.According to a statement released by the anti-regime Htilin Township People’s Defence Organisation on Thursday evening, 12 houses were completely destroyed by the attack, while about 40 sustained significant damage.The statement also urged local people to sleep in air raid shelters, as the regime has recently begun to increase its airstrikes in northern Magway Region.Attacks were also reported near the town of Kyaukhtu in Saw Township on Thursday afternoon, but casualty figures were not immediately available.On Monday, an airstrike on the Myittha dam in Gangaw Township reportedly damaged a number of structures, but did not claim any lives, according to locals.Htilin, Saw, and Gangaw townships form northern Magway’s Yaw region, which is largely under the control of resistance forces.Residents of the area say that the regime cut phone service in Gangaw nearly a month ago, while in Htilin and Saw townships, phone lines have been down since last week. “They usually cut phone lines before conducting airstrikes,” said the man from Htilin Township, adding that this makes it difficult for residents to get advance warning of airstrikes and information about their aftermath.“When phone lines are cut, we only know that there have been airstrikes, but we don’t learn about where they were carried out or other details until much later,” he said.The military has also reportedly increased its ground offensives in northern Magway since the beginning of the year, as the Arakan Army in Rakhine State and the Chin Brotherhood in Chin State consolidate their control over areas bordering the Yaw region.According to a resistance fighter based in Magway’s Minbu District, the regime is stepping up its defences in the region to protect its weapons factories, which have become a target of attacks by anti-junta forces since late last year.“The military is preparing for defensive operations, so it has noticeably increased its airstrikes. Since they can’t make much progress on the ground, their airstrikes are likely to intensify further,” he said.According to a statement released by the National Unity Government’s Ministry of Human Rights on March 14, the junta conducted over 200 airstrikes across the country in February, resulting in 142 deaths, 368 injuries, and the destruction of more than 200 homes.Magway Region ranked second in the number of airstrikes, with 44 attacks resulting in 31 deaths and 52 injuries, the statement said.

Myanmar junta airstrike kills four in northern Magway Region

Resistance forces say the regime has stepped up its attacks in the region in a bid to defend its weapons factories

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