Myanmar military airstrikes kill at least two civilians in flood-hit Sagaing

At least two civilians have been killed and nearly a dozen injured since Monday as Myanmar’s military continues to carry out airstrikes and drone attacks on flood-affected villages in Sagaing Region, according to local resistance groups. Three airstrikes on Tuesday morning struck villages in southeastern Wetlet Township, killing a woman in her 60s, a commander with the Wetlet-based People’s Defence Force (PDF) Battalion 9706 told Myanmar Now. The commander said there were no clashes or resistance forces in the area at the time. On Monday evening, two suicide drones reportedly launched from Training Depot 8 in Shwebo bombed Kawngtat, a flood-hit village in Ayadaw Township, killing one person and injuring 10 others, according to the township’s People’s Defence Organisation (PDO). Kywaybagan, another village in Ayadaw that has been experiencing major flooding, was also attacked on the same day by a suicide drone launched from the junta’s Northwest Regional Military Command in Monywa, injuring a civilian, local sources said. The attacks came as flooding has affected more than 200,000 people in Sagaing and killed at least 23 across 11 townships, according to data released by the National Unity Government. Wetlet is among the worst-affected townships, with aid groups reporting flooding in about 20 villages and floodwaters remaining in some areas. Residents and local relief workers have reported repeated junta attacks on flood-hit areas of Sagaing Region, including in Wetlet, Khin-U, Paungbyin, and Chaung-U townships, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, according to local sources. The military has also been accused of restricting flood-relief operations in areas where anti-junta forces maintain territorial control. Myanmar Now reached out to Aung Zaw Oo, the junta’s spokesperson for Sagaing Region, for comment on the recent attacks, but did not receive a response. The Wetlet Township PDO also said junta naval vessels moving upstream on the Ayeyarwady River shelled villages in Mandalay Region’s Madaya Township, opposite Wetlet Township, on August 15. The Wetlet PDF commander said military movements east of the river could be linked to concerns that resistance forces might attempt to return to areas around Singu and Thabeikkyin. The military has launched major offensives in Madaya, Singu, and Thabeikkyin since last year, forcing resistance forces to withdraw from territory they had previously controlled.

Myanmar military airstrikes kill at least two civilians in flood-hit Sagaing

The regime has also been accused of restricting flood-relief operations in areas under the control of resistance forces

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