Pregnant woman among at least 12 killed by Myanmar junta airstrikes in Magway Region

At least 12 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed early Monday morning as Myanmar’s military launched multiple airstrikes on several villages in Magway Region’s Pauk and Myaing townships, according to local residents.The attacks targeted the villages of Letpanto and Thayetkan in Pauk Township, which have both oil fields, as well as five villages in Myaing Township: Bauntbin, Seikchay, Gyokekone, Suwin, and Taw. The attacks targeted the villages of Letpanto and Thayetkan in Pauk Township, which have both oil fields, as well as five villages in Myaing Township: Bauntbin, Seikchay, Gyokekone, Suwin, and Taw. Fighter jets and Y-12 transport aircraft were used to carry out the assaults, which began at around 1am and continued for nearly an hour, sources said. No fewer than nine attacks were reported.Four of the victims were killed at a motorcycle repair shop in Letpanto, including a pregnant woman and her husband, a local resident told Myanmar Now. An oil refinery near the repair shop was also destroyed in the attack, the source said.In Thayetkan, three people—a couple who owned a nearby restaurant and a woman who worked there as a cook—also died, the source added.The other deaths were reported in Bauntbin and Seikchay in Myaing Township. In Bauntbin, four men were killed, including one who lived next to a house that was completely destroyed, according to a member of a local social welfare organisation.“A bomb fell between the main house and the kitchen, causing the kitchen to be blown away. The woman in that house wasn’t harmed at all, but a man who lived next door was killed,” the source said.At least three houses were levelled in Bauntbin and two cows were also killed, the source added.One other person was reportedly killed in Seikchay, but further details were not available at the time of reporting.Residents said there had been no recent fighting in the area. They added that the airstrikes deliberately targeted civilians as they were sleeping.“Everyone who died was a civilian,” a Pauk resident said.The airstrikes come less than a week after an attack targeting the wedding of a resistance fighter in Sonkone, a village on the border between Pauk and Myaing townships, left dozens dead or injured.Late last month, Myanmar’s military vowed to crack down on groups extracting natural resources in areas under the control of anti-regime forces.

Pregnant woman among at least 12 killed by Myanmar junta airstrikes in Magway Region

The series of attacks comes less than a week after another deadly assault in the same area left dozens dead or injured

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