Yangon, Aug 22 (V7N) – A Myanmar military airstrike on a monastery where civilians had gathered for a meditation retreat marking Buddhist Lent killed 14 people on Friday, according to rebel fighters who witnessed the aftermath.
The attack hit a monastery hall around 9:00 am (0230 GMT) in Myaung township of central Sagaing region, killing 11 men and three women, said Nway Oo Myaung, a pro-democracy rebel who helped clear bodies.
"Since Buddhist Lent was being marked… older people had entered the meditation centre for three months," he said. "Those who were killed, their ages were between 50 and 70. It wasn't a mistaken target, they intentionally attacked a monastery."
A second local opposition fighter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Saturday that five of the dead were from his village and nine from other villages. "While we were trying to rescue people, the aircraft came to bomb a second time," he said.
It was not immediately possible to contact the Myanmar military for comment.
Myanmar's military sparked a civil war when it seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and detaining the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. UN investigators last week published a report accusing the military of "indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians".
The attack has drawn international condemnation, with human rights groups calling for accountability and an immediate end to military operations targeting civilian areas. The Sagaing region has been a focal point of resistance against military rule, with frequent clashes between junta forces and opposition fighters.
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