Myanmar Military Air Strike Kills 14 At Monastery, Rebels Say

A Myanmar military air strike on a monastery in Myaung township of central Sagaing region killed 14 people on Friday, according to two rebel fighters who witnessed the aftermath.

The attack hit a monastery hall around 9:00 am, killing 11 men and three women. Nway Oo Myaung, a pro-democracy rebel, stated that older people, aged between 50 and 70, had entered the meditation center for three months to mark Buddhist Lent. Nway Oo Myaung claimed it was not a mistaken target, but an intentional attack on a monastery.

A second local opposition fighter, speaking anonymously, said five dead people were from their village and nine were from other villages. This fighter also reported that the aircraft came to bomb a second time while they were trying to rescue people. The Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the incident. UN investigators from the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) last week published a report accusing the military of indiscriminate and intentional aerial attacks against civilians.

Myanmar's government called the IIMM publication one-sided allegations. Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military staged a 2021 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Over the past five years, more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed across all sides. Public buildings, including monasteries and schools, are frequently sites of reported air strikes.

The military often relies on Chinese- and Russian-supplied jets. After five years of martial law, Myanmar’s military staged elections around the start of 2026. This push coincides with junta chief-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing pitching Dawei as a gateway to South and West Asia during visits to Thailand and Russia. Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said Russian companies requested majority shares in Myanmar investment projects.