A military airstrike on a village controlled by resistance forces in central Myanmar has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, according to an opposition group and local media reports on Saturday.
The attack occurred Friday at 3 p.m. in Let Pan Hla village, located in Singu Township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, a spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF) confirmed.
Myanmar’s military did not comment on the incident.
The country has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, sparking widespread opposition. After security forces violently suppressed peaceful protests, many opponents of military rule took up arms, leading to ongoing conflicts across large parts of the country.
The military government has intensified airstrikes against the pro-democracy People’s Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. These groups occasionally conduct joint operations against the military but lack defenses against air attacks.
The town of Singu was captured by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force, aligned with Myanmar’s main opposition, in July last year.
The resistance group’s statement on its Telegram social media channel stated that six children were among those killed when the airstrike targeted a busy market in Let Pan Hla village.
Osmond, a spokesperson for the group, told The Associated Press that bombs destroyed around 10 houses near the village market.
“This airstrike was not aimed at a military target, but rather at the market area, where civilians visit daily,” Osmond said.
Independent verification of the situation remains difficult, as internet and cellphone access in the region have been severely restricted.
Myanmar Now, an independent news outlet, reported that the death toll from the airstrike, which struck a tea shop near the market, had risen to 30, with seven victims in critical condition.
A recent report by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, a Myanmar-based research and advocacy organization, stated that since the military coup in 2021, 2,224 civilians have been killed and 3,466 wounded in 4,157 airstrikes.
