Airstrike kills 18 watching football match at tea shop in Sagaing Region

An airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s Air Force on a tea shop in Sagaing Region on Friday killed at least 18 civilians and wounded 20 others, a local villager and independent media reported on Monday.

The attack is the latest in a series of frequent and deadly aerial strikes targeting armed pro-democracy forces as the country approaches elections scheduled for later this month. The strikes often cause civilian casualties.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

The new attack occurred on Dec. 5, shortly after 8 p.m. in Mayakan village in Tabayin township, a resident said. The village, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, is better known by its old name of Depayin.