Myanmar airstrike kills 27 civilians, including six children, in resistance-held village

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a central village controlled by resistance forces killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, according to opposition groups and local media reports on Saturday.

The attack took place on Friday afternoon in Let Pan Hla village, Singu township, about 65 kilometers north of Mandalay. The Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF), which has been resisting military rule, claimed the strike targeted a crowded market area, not a military site.

A spokesperson for the group, Osmond, stated that six children were among the dead and at least 10 houses were destroyed. Myanmar Now reported the death toll had risen to 30, with seven critically injured.

The military junta has not commented on the attack. Since the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, Myanmar has faced widespread armed resistance. The military has increasingly relied on airstrikes against opposition forces, who lack aerial defense capabilities.

A report by Myanmar research group Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica last month estimated that 2,224 civilians have been killed and over 3,400 injured in more than 4,100 airstrikes since the coup.