(Myanmar, 23rd) Myanmar anti-government armed personnel reported that the Myanmar military carried out an airstrike on a temple while civilians were participating in a three-month Buddhist Lent spiritual retreat inside. The strike resulted in 14 deaths.
According to AFP, Nway Oo Myaung, a pro-democracy armed fighter involved in clearing the bodies, said on Friday (August 21) that the attack happened around 9 am Friday morning (10:30 am Singapore time) at the main hall of a temple in Myaung Township, Sagaing Region, central Myanmar. The airstrike killed 11 men and three women.
He said: “Because it is currently Buddhist Lent, a group of elderly people entered the temple for a three-month retreat.”
He added: “The victims were between 50 and 70 years old... This was not a mistaken attack, it was a deliberate strike on the temple.”
An anonymous local opposition armed member said on Saturday: “Five of the dead were from our village, the other nine were from other villages.”
He said: “While we were carrying out rescue operations, the planes came and bombed again.”
It has not been possible to contact the Myanmar military for comment.
In 2021, Myanmar’s military staged a coup and seized power, overthrowing the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and detaining the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, triggering a civil war.
Last week, UN investigators released a report accusing the military of “indiscriminate and deliberate airstrikes against civilians.”
Last week, UN investigators released a report accusing the military of “indiscriminate and deliberate airstrikes against civilians.”