Myanmar junta airstrikes kill 22 as naval vessels advance north of Mandalay

Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military killed at least 22 people in Sagaing Region’s Wetlet Township late last week as a convoy of naval vessels travelled upstream along the Ayeyarwady River, according to local sources. The attacks took place at around 4:30pm on July 17 and targeted the villages of Ngar Pat Chaung, Shar Kwe, and Yae Lel Maw in the eastern part of the township, the sources said. Ngar Pat Chaung, which is situated between the other two villages, suffered the heaviest casualties, with at least 12 people reported dead and 18 injured, a local resistance fighter told Myanmar Now. “[The first] bombs were dropped on Yae Lel Maw, sending everyone fleeing in a panic. The plane then flew over Ngar Pat Chaung, where more bombs were dropped, causing severe damage,” the resistance fighter said. “Shar Kwe was bombed last, but then Ngar Pat Chaung was hit again. That’s why the casualties were highest there,” he added. In Shar Kwe, which was also hit twice, nine people were killed and 11 injured, sources there said. The attacks came ahead of the arrival of a convoy of naval vessels that had set out from Mandalay on the morning of July 17. The convoy stopped at the village of Shein Ma Kar later that day before proceeding north the next morning. The affected villages, which are all within 12 miles of Shein Ma Kar, were attacked again with artillery fire as the naval convoy passed through the area, according to local resistance sources. Map showing the locations of villages hit by airstrikes in Sagaing Region’s Wetlet Township on July 17 Anti-regime groups operating in the area said they believed the convoy—consisting of two combat ships, three landing ships, and seven barges loaded with rations and ammunition—was heading north towards the resistance-held towns of Singu and Thabeikkyin. Fighting has been reported recently near Thabeikkyin, as regime ground forces have advanced to within four miles of the town, sources there said. Thabeikkyin is located on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River about 55 miles west of Mogok, a ruby-mining town that was captured by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army in July of last year. Since regaining control of Lashio in northern Shan State earlier this year, the regime has intensified its offensives in other parts of the country in an effort to recapture other previously lost territories. During the rainy season, when water levels rise, the military uses the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers to transport reinforcements, weapons, and supplies to troops in the north. However, naval vessels face attacks as they pass through resistance-held areas. To counter this threat, the junta uses airstrikes and heavy artillery fire to clear villages located along the riverbanks. According to local sources, thousands of people living in nine villages near Shein Ma Kar have fled their homes since last week’s airstrikes. This is the second time this month that Yae Lae Maw has been the target of a deadly aerial assault. On July 11, a bomb dropped on the village jetty killed one man and injured eight others, including several children.

Myanmar junta airstrikes kill 22 as naval vessels advance north of Mandalay

The attacks were carried out ahead of the arrival of a naval convoy that departed from Mandalay late last week

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