Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Target Monasteries in Magway Region During Religious Festival

Myanmar military forces launched deliberate airstrikes on villages in Magway Region’s Myaing and Pakokku townships during the traditional Thadingyut festival, destroying monasteries and homes and displacing thousands of civilians, local aid groups said.

On Oct. 25, a junta jet fighter and three gyrocopters bombed a monastery in Thit Pu Lway Kone village in Pakokku Township, destroying the monastic complex, seven homes, shops, and a power transformer, according to Anyar Myay Civil Society Organization-Myaing.

No human casualties occurred in the Oct. 25 attack as residents had evacuated beforehand due to a nearby junta column. Civil society groups noted there were no active clashes or resistance bases in the village, accusing the military of intentionally targeting civilians.

The strike was part of a broader aerial campaign across Magway during the holiday period. On Oct. 21, gyrocopters bombed a monastery in Myaing Township’s Tharsi village. Earlier airstrikes in Myaing and Pakokku on Oct. 24 and Oct. 18 killed at least nine civilians, including two children.

The intensified bombardment follows heavy military casualties in the area, where revolutionary forces have launched offensives against roughly 500 junta troops deployed since June to control local oil fields across Pakokku, Myaing, and Pauk townships.

Photo: A scene showing the aftermath of a junta airstrike (Anyar Myay Civil Society Organization – Myaing)