An air strike by the Myanmar military on the city of Mogok in the Southeast Asian nation has resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people, including a pregnant woman, a member of an armed group, local residents, and according to Myanmar’s online media. These deadly military air strikes, which have frequently caused civilian casualties, have intensified amid a civil war that began after the military seized power in February 2021, as it attempts to regain control of the region from resistance groups.
The attack occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Shwegu ward of Mogok Township, about 115 kilometers northeast of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, according to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) spokesperson Lwe Yar Oo.
TNLA, one of the powerful ethnic militias fighting against the military near the Chinese border, reported approximately 21 civilians were killed and seven others injured. Homes and Buddhist monastery buildings were also damaged. Mogok, a gem-mining center in the upper Mandalay region, was captured by the TNLA in July 2024. The TNLA is a member of an alliance of ethnic militias that seized a large portion of northeastern Myanmar in an offensive that began in late 2023.
A statement released by the group on its Telegram social media channel on Friday night stated that the victims of the air strike, which targeted a Buddhist monastery in the Shwegu ward of Mogok, included 16 women. It also stated that 15 homes were damaged by bombs dropped from a jet fighter.
Two Mogok residents told The Associated Press on Saturday that the death toll had risen to approximately 30, although the exact number of casualties could not be independently confirmed. Residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of arrest by the military, stated that the number of fatalities was higher.
Independent online media, including Myanmar Now and Democratic Voice of Burma, released photos and videos of the debris following the air strike. The military has not commented on the Mogok incident. In the past, the military has claimed that it only attacks legitimate war zones and has accused resistance forces of being terrorists.
Unrest has continued in Myanmar since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021. After peaceful protests were brutally suppressed, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and a large part of the country is now embroiled in conflict. The military government has intensified air strikes against the armed pro-democracy People’s Defence Force and ethnic militias, which have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. Resistance forces have no means of defending against air strikes.
The TNLA’s statement said that in the first two weeks of August, air strikes in areas controlled by the group killed 17 people, including two Buddhist monks, and injured 20 others. According to independent Myanmar media reports, air strikes on a convoy of trucks parked on the road near the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar last Monday killed about 16 people, most of whom were truck drivers.
Opponents and independent analysts estimate that the military now controls less than half of the country, while its grip remains strong over most of central Myanmar, including the capital Naypyidaw. Ahead of elections later this year, which it has promised to retake the areas controlled by opposition forces, it has intensified its counterattacks.
Critics say the elections will not be democratic because there is no free media and most of the leaders of Suu Kyi’s party have been arrested. The plan is widely seen as an attempt to legitimize and maintain military rule. Many opposition groups have said they will try to derail the elections.
