Myanmar military bombs Buddhist ceremony, killing teenage girl

A Myanmar military airstrike killed a 15-year-old girl and wounded nearly 20 others at a Buddhist religious procession in the country's central Mandalay region Wednesday, residents said. Military aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire with machine guns on the crowd around 4pm in Nat Gyi village, about 15 miles east of Ngazun town along the Ayeyarwady River. The procession was part of a traditional ceremony in which young boys briefly enter the monkhood. Many of the participants were children. Bombs also landed near homes along the route, sending people running for cover, members of a local armed resistance group said. “They dropped four bombs in the first round, then two more,” a deputy PDF officer told Myanmar Now. “After that, they fired from the air. People, especially children, were terrified and ran in all directions. Many were injured while fleeing.” The girl was struck in the back of the head as she tried to flee and died at the scene. The bombs exploded just ahead of the procession rather than on it, but close enough to set off panic, witnesses said. "The donors and the novice-to-be were unharmed, but this girl ran in panic and ended up in the line of fire," a local resistance fighter told Myanmar Now. Among the 19 wounded were an 11-year-old girl in critical condition and an 18-month-old who suffered head injuries while sleeping in a cradle. At least five houses were damaged. Organisers canceled the ceremony and donated the prepared offerings to local monasteries. Most of Nat Gyi village's nearly 1,000 households have fled, fearing further strikes. The attack is part of an escalating air campaign by Myanmar's military against civilian sites, including schools, hospitals and monasteries.The strikes have continued despite a recent command reshuffle by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, with aircraft hitting religious buildings during the Thingyan New Year holiday. According to figures released by the National Unity Government’s human rights ministry, more than 480 people were killed and nearly 420 injured in airstrikes in March alone—more than double the toll recorded earlier this year. The military has stepped up operations in Mandalay Region following losses in resistance offensives, launching counterattacks since last year to regain control of key townships including Singu, Thabeikkyin, and Tagaung. Fighting has intensified in rural areas of Myingyan and Taungtha, where resistance forces remain active and junta troops have carried out repeated arson raids.

Myanmar military bombs Buddhist ceremony, killing teenage girl

Airstrike on a novice monk procession in a Mandalay village wounds 19, damages homes and sends nearly 1,000 households fleeing

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